India lose but Lakshya bang on

Manila, February 15

Lakshya Sen’s stunning win over Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie went in vain as the Indian men’s badminton team went down fighting 2-3 to two-time defending champions Indonesia in the semifinals to settle for the bronze at the Asia Team Championships.

World No. 31 Sen notched up a 21-18 22-20 win over world No. 7 Christie in the second singles to keep India in the hunt after B Sai Praneeth retired following a 21-6 thrashing by Anthony Ginting in the opening game of the first singles match.

The doubles pair of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila lost 10-21 21-14 21-23 to three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan as Indonesia made it 2-1. Subhankar Dey then shocked world No. 20 Shesar Hiren Rhustavito 21-17 21-15 in the third singles as India again drew level at 2-2.

In the deciding doubles match, Chirag Shetty paired up with Sen but they were no match for the world No. 1 combination of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, who took just 24 minutes to register a 21-6 21-13 win.

Sen show

Earlier, the 18-year-old Sen showed his prowess during his straight-game win over Christie. In his first meeting with the Indonesia star, Sen matched his senior pro in all the departments of the game.

The Uttarakhand shuttler erased a 2-4 deficit and enjoyed a three-point lead at the break when his opponent hit long. Sen gained a game point when he pushed the shuttle to the forehand corner. Christie saved two game points before sending one out again as Sen earned the bragging rights.

In the second game, Christie eked out a 3-1 lead but Sen came back strongly to take a 7-5 advantage before edging ahead 11-9 at the interval. The Indian jumped to a healthy 19-15 lead at one stage but Christie clawed his way back with four straight points. The Indian grabbed a match point when Christie hit long again and even though the Indonesian saved it, he stumbled with two more unforced errors to hand over the match to Sen. — PTI

Results

• Lakshya Sen bt Jonatan Christie 21-18 22-20
• B Sai Praneeth (retired hurt) Anthony Ginting 6-21
• Subhankar Dey bt Shesar Hiren Rhustavito 21-17 21-15
• Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan bt MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila 10-21 21-14 21-23
• Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo bt Chirag Shetty/Laskhya Sen 21-6 21-13