Lakshya Sen upsets Antonsen; Sindhu, Saina bow out of All England Open

Kidambi Srikanth also succumbed to defeat in the second round of the competition.

Young Indian shuttler and medal prospect Lakshya Sen handed a major upset to Danish ace Anders Antonsen on Day 2 of the All England Open. The Indian took charge from the beginning in the first game and maintained the cushion of a lead to win it 21-16. In the second game, Lakshya didn’t allow any momentum shift and steadily capitalized on the World No. 3’s errors and took the match 21-16, 21-18.

On the other hand, former World No. 1 Srikanth Kidambi succumbed to defeat against Anthony Ginting of Indonesia. The Olympic bronze medalist had a one-sided scoreline of 9-21 in the first game. However, in the second game, after having trailed for the most part, Ginting raced to a decisive lead and took the game 21-18.

Kidambi sought to keep the lead in the deciding game but was forced to defend by the Indonesian. He looked to save the match point in the end. But a fumble cost him the match as he lost 9-21, 18-21, 21-19.

Sindhu, Saina end women's singles campaign

Former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal lost out to world champion Akane Yamaguchi in a pulsating encounter at the All England Open. Saina lost the first game 14-21, but staged a comeback by winning the second one 21-17. In the third game, both players seemed to run out of steam, but it was the world champion who came through in the end, winning the match 14-21, 21-17, 17-21.

PV Sindhu was also handed a defeat by Japanese shuttler Sayaka Takahashi in three tantalizing games. Sindhu started well by keeping up with the pace of her opponent. However, she made some unforced errors, costing her the first game 20-19. In the second game, she raced to an early lead, leaving behind only a formality for the Japanese left-hander to go for the deciding game at 16-21.

The deciding game saw Takahashi build an early lead. However, her run of points was halted by the two-time Olympic medalist, but it was all in vain. The Japanese shuttler took the last remaining points in double quick time, with Sindhu failing to realize the momentum shift and won the match 20-19, 16-21, 21-17.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty continue solid run

The Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty went through to the quarter-finals with a comfortable victory against Mark Lamsfuß and Marvin Seidel of Germany by 21-7, 21-7. The duo completely dominated the match and didn’t relinquish their advantage. They will now face World No. 1s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia.

Indian debutants Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jollyn were given a walkover by Olympic champions Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu. The duo lost the first game, but were leading the second before being given the walkover, taking them into the next round.

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