Jakarta: Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen crashed out of Indonesia Master Super 500 badminton tournament after losing to world No.3 Jonatan Christie in the quarterfinals here on Friday. Sen went down to local favourite Jonatan Christie 21-15, 10-21, 13-21 in 61 minutes of play. This was the Indian shuttler's first loss against Christie in their second meeting. Latest Men's Singles BWF Rankings: HS Prannoy Reclaims Career-Best Eighth Spot After Four Years.
Both players engaged in high-quality rallies from the start but it was the Indian who went into the first mid-game break with an 11-8 lead. He built on his lead to take the first game convincingly. After the change of ends, Christie turned the table in his favour with a clever mix of backhand and forehand shots and force the match into the decider.
In the deciding game, Sen continued to trouble Christie by engaging him in longer rallies but the Indonesian, with more energy in the bank, led Sen 11-6 at the time of the break. Sen produced a few good winners and reduced the deficit with four straight points post-interval. The fatigue, however, caught up with him as Christie sealed the match with his deadly crosscourt smashes.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2023 08:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).