BWF World Championships: Lakshya sen crasht in opening round | Badminton News – Times of India

India’s Lakshya Sen suffered an early exit on Monday at the BWF world championships and lost to top seeds and world no. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China in straight competitions. The 24-year-old, a bronze medal winner on the 2021 edition, fell 17-21, 19-21 in 54 minutes. Despite flashes of sparkle and his characteristic attacking game, Sen could not find the breakthrough against the composed defense of Shi and a sharp finish. When he entered the tournament, Sen wanted to go beyond the disappointment of his fourth place at last year’s Olympic Games. His challenge, however, ended up against an opponent in a red -hot form. Shi is unbeaten this season in nine finals and again looked into full control of his game. The result also stretched its lead from head-to-head over the Indian to 4-1. The opening game was fought closely, marked by long rallies. A 47-shot exchange ended early with Sen a line call incorrectly collapsed, giving SHI a slight lead on 3-2. The Chinese quickly built a 10-6 benefit with his smashes, but Sen recovered to sign level at 11-11. From there, Shi stepped up the pace, focused relentlessly on the backhand of Sen and sealed the first match 21-17 after the Indian had pushed a return for a long time. In the second game, Sen corresponded to his opponent in the early exchanges and remained at 5-5 level. But again, Shi’s variety in strokes and the ability to end with precision, saw him move ahead 14-9. Sen’s fighting spirit contrary to him when he limited the gap to 16-17 with aggressive play on the net.

Just as a decision maker seemed possible, a few casual mistakes waved the momentum back in favor of Shi. Sen clawed to 18-19 but faltered in the last moments and hit a shot in the net and another wide to admit the game. For Sen it was another campaign that ended a lot but ended too early, while Shi strengthened why he is currently the most dominant power in men’s singles badminton.