The Indian shuttler, who finished runner-up here two years ago, lost the first game against Jonatan Christie but turned the table on his Indonesian opponent to win the second game and force a third at the Utilita Arena. (More Badminton News)
🅷But it proved a false dawn as his higher-ranked opponent produced a skilled, all-court performance to subdue 20-year-old India's all-out game.
🐲It will be an all-Indonesian final. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, the fifth seed, fought back to beat surprise semi-finalists Christo Popov of France in three games (19-21, 21-5, 21-11) earlier on the penultimate day of the competition.
As in his previous games at the 114th edition of the All England Open, Lakshya Sen🎃 started slowly against Jonatan Christie, allowing the world number nine to reel off successive points. From 4-4, the Indian shuttler trailed 9-15, and he could add only three more points.
♉Sen, who had defeated Anders Antonsen of Denmark and Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in draining three-game affairs in the previous two rounds, changed gears in the second game, and closed it in quick time, wrapping up 21-10. After leading 4-3, the world number 18 from Almora won six successive points, which was followed by another sequence of seven on the trot.
👍But the Indian shuttler faltered in the decider despite a strong start, 3-0. At 4-3, it was anybody's game and both kept a tight game. It was 8-8 just before the break, but it soon became 15-11 in favour of the Indonesian who mixed his killer drops with powerful smashes.
ಌHaving conceded eight match points, 12-20, Lakshya Sen was fighting a losing battle against a more seasoned opponent. A brief fightback resulted in three more points.
