Indonesia Masters | Lakshya Sen stiff challenge from world no.10 Kanta Tsuneyama
A file image of Lakshya Sen.
|(Twitter)
PV Sindhu and upcoming shuttler Lakshya Sen made impressive starts at the Indonesia Masters Super 750 badminton tournament on Tuesday. Sindhu recorded a 21-15, 21-19 win over Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in a 43-minute while Sen stunned world no.10, Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama, in the men’s singles.
The 20-year-old, who had reached the semis at the Hylo Open Super 500, won in three games 21-17, 18-21, 21-17. Now he will face the top seed and two-time world champion Kento Momota of Japan in the next round.
In the first game, from 6-9 down, Sen managed to take a 13-11 lead and somehow managed to close the game without any hiccups. Come the second game, the momentum shifted and Sen squandered a 4-0 lead. In the do-or-die game, Sen emerged on top with a 13-8 lead.Â
In the decider, Lakshya showed great mental fortitude as he fought back from 3-6 to jump to 13-8 with a six-point burst. Kanta made it 16-16 but Lakshya ensured he had the last laugh as he won five of the next six points to enter the second round.
Among others, the sixth-seeded Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be up against Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi later in the day. Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy will also be in action against Denmark’s Alexandra Boje and Mette Poulsen.
