India’s Lakshya Sen bowed out of the All England Badminton Championships after a straight-game loss to Chinese world No. 6 Li Shi Feng in the men’s singles quarterfinals here on Friday.
The 2022 finalist, who had narrowly lost a Paris Olympic medal last year, was outplayed 10-21, 16-21 in a 45-minute contest.
Sen, ranked world No. 15, had won his last two matches against Li, including at the Thomas Cup. But on the day, he struggled against his familiar Chinese opponent from the junior class of 2018.
Feng stamped his authority early, winning the first game in just 17 minutes.
He played composed badminton, avoiding unnecessary risks. A powerful smash gave him a 9-4 lead, and he entered the break with a solid 11-4 advantage.
Sen’s unsuccessful review left him trailing 4-12, but he briefly upped his attack, reducing the gap to 7-12 with a sharp cross-court smash.
However, Feng adjusted quickly, mixing up his pace and tactics effectively.
A precise review put him ahead 19-10 before unforced errors from Sen handed Feng the game.
Sen showed signs of improvement in the second game, but Feng remained dominant, sealing the issue in 27 minutes.
Sen trailed 2-5 but clawed back with better net play, edging ahead 10-8 after a gruelling 37-shot rally.
He took a slender three-point lead at the break and kept pace in a tight battle, with a marathon 44-shot exchange locking it at 14-all.
However, the tall Feng upped his aggression, moving ahead 17-15 with a powerful smash.
At 15-18, Sen suffered some finger bruises, spilling blood on the court and requiring medical attention and the court had to be cleaned.
The brief stoppage, however, did little to halt Feng’s momentum, as he powered through with another thundering smash to close out the match.
Despite the loss, it was a solid campaign for Sen, who had earlier stunned defending champion Jonatan Christie in straight games, avenging his semifinal defeat to the Indonesian last year.
With this result, Feng advances to the semifinals, where he will face the winner of the match between top seed Shi Yu Qi and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.
On Thursday, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty pulled out in men’s doubles after an injury, Malvika Bansod exited in women’s singles, and the mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also fell short.
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