India’s Lakshya Sen reacts upset to beat China’s Shi Yu Qi at the All England Open Badminton Championships | Badminton News – The Times of India

Lakshya Sen showed grit and endurance to defeat China’s Shi Yu Qi in a thrilling three-match battle on Tuesday, winning 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 at the All England Open Badminton Championships. It was his first victory over the former world number 1. 1 in a BWF World Tour event, and it didn’t come easy.The match was intense from start to finish, with long rallies and both players pushing each other to the limit. Lakshya started strongly and took control of the first game with sharp smashes and fast net play. Although he almost let it slip after leading comfortably, he held his nerve in a tense finish to take the opener.Coach Vimal praised his performance and said, “Lakshya was very calm and collected today. Right from the start, he made Shi work hard for every point, and eventually the Chinese player started to tire.”Even as Shi fought back to win the second game, Lakshya did not lose focus.“At one point in the second game I felt Lakshya was getting a bit tired but he recovered well and raised his level. His attacking play was also excellent,” he added. “Overall, it was a hugely confidence-boosting win.”The deciding match was again tight, but Lakshya’s pace, defense and smart shot selection made the difference. He remained aggressive, forcing Shi into mistakes and closed out the match when the Chinese player hit long on match point.In other matches, Malvika Bansod lost to China’s Chen Yu Fei in straight matches. However, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto secured a straight victory over Malaysians Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin.