Lakshya Sen reaches final of Canada Open, PV Sindhu exits in semis
India shuttler Lakshya Sen made it to the final of the Canada Open 500 early on Sunday, with a stunning win over world no. 11 Japan's Kenta Nishimoto, while PV Sindhu lost in straight games to Japan's world no. 1 Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals.
Sen, who had been struggling this year and had fallen to world no. 19, overcame Nishimoto 21-17, 21-14 to enter his only second Super 500 final and his first this year. Now the youngster will be up against world no. 10 China’s Li Shi Feng in the final on Sunday. The 21-year-old has a 4-2 head-to-head record against is opponent and is finally looking in decent form now.
On the other hand, Sindhu lost 14-21, 15-21 to Yamaguchi of Japan. She was no match to her opponent and her lack of form was clearly visible once again this year. Meanwhile, Sen showed signs of return to form as he decimated all his opponents in the tournament. In the first game, he was under pressure with 0-4 scoreline, but soon made it 8-8.
During the mid-game interval, Nishimoto had a slight advantage at 10-11, but Sen pulled things back and raced to the finish line. In the second game, it looked even until 9-9, but from there on the Indian picked up pace. Sen achieved the next 12 points in a jiffy, while the Japanese could only secure four.