Badminton Asia Championships: Lakshya Sen Loses To Shi Yu Qi, Bows Out In Opening Round
NDTV
Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen bowed in the opening round of men's singles at the Badminton Asia Championships after suffering a straight-game loss to local favourite and top seed Shi Yu Qi
Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen bowed in the opening round of men's singles at the Badminton Asia Championships after suffering a straight-game loss to local favourite and top seed Shi Yu Qi in Ningbo on Wednesday. World Championships bronze medallist Sen gave a good account of himself and fought tooth and nail but the higher-ranked Chinese eventually proved to be too strong as the Indian lost 19-21 15-21 in the gruelling opener that lasted 53 minutes. The Indians didn't have the desired start in the tournament as the talented Priyanshu Rajawat also crashed out in the men's singles opening round.
Rajawat was no match for eight-seeded Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia, losing 9-21 13-21 in 39 minutes.
It was also curtains for the Panda sisters -- Rutuparna and Swetaparna -- in the opening round of women's doubles, losing 8-21 13-21 against seventh seeds Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu W of China.
Contrary to the final result, Sen gave his Chinese opponent a run for his money in the first game and didn't allow him an aggressive start.
Sen showcased brilliant court coverage and indulged the Chinese in long rallies before picking up points with his smashes and inch-perfect drop shots to lead 11-7 at the change of ends.
