Lakshya Sen Fights Hard but Falls Short in India Open Quarterfinals

NEW DELHI: Lakshya Sen put up a spirited fight but fell short in the crucial moments, going down to Chinese Taipei’s world No. 12 Lin Chun-Yi in a gripping men’s singles quarterfinal at the India Open Super 750 on Friday. The loss ended India’s singles challenge at the tournament.The 24-year-old from Almora, winner of the Australian Open last year, lost 21-17, 13-21, 18-21 in a high-intensity contest that lasted 68 minutes. It was Sen’s fourth consecutive defeat against the Taiwanese shuttler.The match was marked by long rallies, sharp net exchanges and physical endurance, with both players pushing each other across three demanding games. Lakshya started strongly, matching Lin shot for shot in fast-paced rallies. After the scores stayed level early on, Lakshya edged ahead at the interval and gradually took control. He capitalised on Lin’s errors at the forecourt and sealed the opening game after earning five game points.The second match saw a change of momentum, with the court conditions leading to difficulties in shuttle control. Lakshya struggled to control his length, handing over the initial lead to Lin. Also, although he staged a mini-revival with his attacks on the backhand of his opponent, his constant errors on the baseline helped the Taiwanese equalize.Lakshya, back to his favourite side, zoomed to a 4-0 lead in the decider. Lin opened his account with two jump smashes and remained in hunting distance as the score moved to 8-6, with a lucky net cord aiding the Indian.Lin clawed back to 9-9 with successive cross-court smashes before edging ahead briefly, only for Lakshya to regain momentum. After the final change of ends, Lin drew level at 12-12, but three consecutive errors allowed Lakshya to lead 15-12.Lin stepped up the attack to draw the scores level again at 15-15. At 18-16 down, Lakshya found a stunning behind-the-back shot to stay in the rally before finishing at the net and then levelled with a body smash.Lin responded with a strong return to serve to move two points away and earned match points when Lakshya found the net.The contest ended with Lakshya slipping at the rear court during a riveting rally and sending back a weak return which Lin put away to seal the match.Lakshya, who couldn't get his shots right in the second game, hitting as many as nine shots long, acknowledged that the drift in the court played a part.