Macau Open 2025: Lakshya Sen, Tharun Mannepalli suffer defeat as India's campaign ends

Both Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli crashed out in the semis.

After a long journey, India’s campaign came to an end at the Macau Open 2025, as both Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli bowed out in the semi-finals on Saturday, August 2.

The world No. 17 Lakshya Sen, who had looked sharp all week, ran into fifth-seeded Arwi Farhan of Indonesia in the last four. However, the Indian failed to find his rhythm, going down 16-21, 9-21 in straight games.

Sen had earlier crushed China’s Zhu Xuan Chen in the quarterfinals, winning 21-14, 18-21, 21-14, but couldn’t repeat that form in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Tharun Mannepalli pushed Malaysia’s Justin Hoh to three games. The 23-year-old Indian claimed the first game 21-19, but Hoh responded with a comeback, taking the next two 21-16, 21-16 to seal his spot in the final.

Tharun’s performance in Macau was extraordinary. In the quarterfinals, the Indian defeated China’s reigning junior world champion, Hu Zhe’an, in a three-game battle 21-12, 13-21, 21-18. Earlier, he had pulled off a major upset in the round of 16, toppling the tournament’s top seed, Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong.

India’s hope in men’s doubles had already ended earlier in the week. The world No. 9 duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a narrow defeat in the quarterfinals to Malaysia’s Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal. After dropping the first game 14-21, the Indian pair fought back to win the second 21-13 but narrowly lost the decider 20-22.

With these results, India finished without a title at the Macau Open. Despite deep runs from Lakshya, Tharun, and the Satwik-Chirag pair, the wait for a title continues in the 2025 season.

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