Lakshya Sen storms into Australian Open semis, Satwik-Chirag exit

Lakshya Sen overcame a determined Ayush Shetty to secure a place in the men’s singles semifinals at the Australian Open Super 500 tournament, while India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, bowed out in the quarterfinals on Friday.

The seventh-seeded Lakshya, who had beaten 20-year-old Shetty at the same stage in the Hong Kong Open earlier this year, won a hard-fought 23-21, 21-11 victory. The Almora shuttler will next face Chinese-Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, the second seed and 2018 Asian Games silver medallist, who edged past Farhan Alwi 13-21, 23-21, 21-16 in a 1 hour 23-minute thriller.

Lakshya faced early resistance in the first game, trailing 6-9, but rallied to take an 11-10 lead at the break. The seesaw battle continued, with Ayush momentarily earning a game point before Sen closed out the opener. The second game proved one-sided, as Lakshya surged to a 6-1 lead and extended it to 15-7, eventually sealing the match comfortably.

In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag, who had previously reached the Hong Kong Open and China Masters finals, were eliminated by the fifth-seeded Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, losing 21-19, 21-15.

With senior pros H.S. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth having made early exits, Lakshya remains India’s sole contender in the men’s singles draw.

Scores:

• Men’s singles quarterfinal: Lakshya Sen beat Ayush Shetty 23-21, 21-11

• Men’s singles quarterfinal: Chou Tien Chen beat Farhan Alwi 13-21, 23-21, 21-16

• Men’s doubles quarterfinal: Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 21-19, 21-15