Briefly: Shuttler Lakshya Sen sails into semifinals of King Cup  

India’s Lakshya Sen came up with a spirited performance to overcome Hong Kong China’s Angus Ng Ka Long in three games and sail into the semi-finals of the inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open here on Friday. The 12th-ranked Indian, who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics after losing the playoff, defeated his 30-year-old opponent 10-21, 21-13, 21-13. It was a slow start for Lakshya, but once he got things going against the 17^th-ranked opponent, he won the next two games with ease to beat Long for the first time in four attempts. The 23-year-old from Almora, who ended a title-drought with his triumph at the Syed Modi Super 300 tournament in Lucknow earlier this month, is among eight leading shuttlers in the world competing for the top prize in the three-day event. The tournament is the brainchild of two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China. Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and world number 2 Anders Antonsen of Denmark are the highest-ranked players in the competition, which will not offer any ranking points as it is not part of the BWF calendar. Other notable players include former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and Frenchman Alex Lanier. China is being represented by two 18-year-olds, Hu Zhe An and Wang Zi Jun.

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Hyderabad

Kerala in semis as Naseeb lone strike seals J&K’s fate

Naseeb Rahman rose to the occasion once again as he scored the solitary goal to help Kerala defeat Jammu and Kashmir in the quarter-final of the National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, here on Friday. Rahman, who scored in the 73rd minute, is now the joint second-highest scorer of the tournament, alongside Tamil Nadu’s Lijo K, with seven goals to his name. Kerala, who have reached the tournament’s semi-finals for the 31st time, will take on Manipur on December 29.

Pune

PKL: Haryana beat UP Yoddhas to secure final berth

A determined Haryana Steelers overcame a fighting UP Yoddhas 28-25 to secure a place in the Pro Kabaddi League final with Shivam Patare, Vinay, Rahul and Mohammadreza Shadloui playing stellar roles in the win here on Friday. This is the second consecutive time Haryana Steelers have made the Panchkula final. Agencies