Lakshya Sen advances to Hong Kong Open final after beating Chou Tien Chen

Lakshya Sen reached the final of the Hong Kong Open Super 500 after defeating third seed Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan 23-21, 22-20 in the semifinal on Saturday.

The 22-year-old had earlier overcome compatriot Ayush Shetty in a tense quarterfinal clash. Sen won that match 21-16, 17-21, 21-13, showing composure to recover after dropping the second game.

In the round of 16, Sen faced another all-Indian battle against HS Prannoy. After losing the opening game 15-21, he fought back 21-18, 21-10 to seal victory. The result ended a six-month quarterfinal drought and marked his first BWF World Tour last-eight appearance since March.

Sen’s run began with a last-16 berth set up by Ayush Shetty’s upset win over Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, the 2023 World Championships silver medallist. Shetty’s win ensured an all-Indian quarterfinal encounter between the two Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy players.

With his win over Chou, Sen has now entered his first final on the BWF World Tour this season. He will face the winner of the other semifinal for the title.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)