India Open: Lakshya enters; Satwik-Chirag, Srikanth, Prannoy bow | Badminton News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Former champion Lakshya Sen produced a composed and tactical performance to advance to the quarter-finals of the $950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy bowed out after a spirited show here on Thursday.Top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, one of the favorites to win the title, also left the team after a heartbreaking 27-25, 21-23, 19-21 defeat to Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita in the second round later in the day.

Sen, a 2021 World Championships bronze medalist, showed resilience and maturity to beat Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto 21-19, 21-11 in the second round to become the only Indian singles challenge at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.“At the beginning of the opening match, I struggled a bit with my rhythm and came up short, which allowed him to attack more. But then I started lifting the shuttle longer and focused on defending well and I think that changed the first match,” Lakshya told reporters.“In the second game I knew I couldn’t give him a chance to keep playing his game, so I mixed my speed and it worked.” The 24-year-old from Almora will next face Lin Chun-Yi from Chinese Taipei, who defeated Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 21-16, 21-17.Earlier, Srikanth fought hard but lost 21-14, 17-21, 21-17 to Frenchman Christo Popov, the reigning World Tour Finals champion.Prannoy also pushed his opponent close before losing 18-21, 21-19, 21-14 to eighth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.Malvika Bansod also fell 18-21 15-21 to China’s fifth seed Han Yue in a women’s singles match.India’s challenge in women’s doubles also came to an end as Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost 22-20, 22-24, 21-23 to seventh seeds Li Yijing and Luo Xumin of China in a marathon match that lasted 84 minutes.Sen vs. NishimotoSen initially struggled with timing and depth, allowing Nishimoto to take control and build a 16-11 lead midway through the match.Trailing 14-18, Sen showed great composure as he extended the rallies, came back fiercely and forced mistakes from his opponent.A run of five consecutive points decisively shifted the momentum, allowing Sen to close out the match at the first opportunity.The second game was a one-sided affair as Sen increased his intensity. He mixed the tempo intelligently, alternating between sharp half-strokes and disguised drops, denying Nishimoto any rhythm.With his defense tight and his shot selection precise, Sen sealed the match in 50 minutes.