Lakshya Sen produced a stunning comeback as the Indian men’s badminton team defeated hosts Japan 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games on Tuesday to secure a medal.
India, who won the silver medal in the men’s team event at the previous Asian Games, put together a strong performance to book their place in the semi-finals.
Lakshya gave India the perfect start by fighting back from a difficult position against world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then extended India’s lead in the first doubles match before Ayush Shetty completed the job with another straight-game win.
India will now take on the winner of the quarter-final between defending champions China and Korea in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Lakshya Turns The Match Around
Lakshya came into the Asian Games after a difficult run of results, including an early exit from the World Championships. But against Naraoka, he showed his fighting spirit when India needed it most.
The 25-year-old from Almora lost the opening game and found himself trailing 14-19 in the deciding game. With Naraoka just two points away from victory, Lakshya produced a remarkable turnaround.
He won seven points in a row to close out the match 11-21, 21-5, 21-19 and put India 1-0 ahead.
It was an especially important win for Lakshya, who had lost four of his previous five meetings against Naraoka.
Naraoka Takes Control Early
Lakshya struggled to settle into the opening game, with the drift inside the hall making things difficult for both players.
Naraoka soon took control and wrapped up the first game 21-11.
After a pep talk from chief coach Pullela Gopichand and a change of ends, Lakshya returned with a completely different approach.
He began attacking Naraoka’s backhand with a series of sharp smashes and quickly moved 11-2 ahead in the second game.
The Indian continued to dictate the rallies and stretched his advantage to 16-3. Naraoka struggled to control his shots, with several lifts going long.
Lakshya made no mistake in closing out the game 21-5 to force a decider.
Lakshya Completes Incredible Comeback
The final game was much closer. Naraoka went into the break with an 11-6 lead and continued to keep Lakshya under pressure.
The Japanese player moved 16-10 ahead despite Lakshya’s efforts to stay in the contest.
Lakshya kept fighting and tried to make Naraoka work through long rallies. But two unforced errors allowed Naraoka to move to 19-14.
That was when the Indian found another gear.
Lakshya reeled off four straight points as Naraoka began to make mistakes under pressure. The Indian then produced two accurate returns close to the back line to earn a match point.
Naraoka’s next shot went into the net, completing Lakshya’s memorable comeback and giving India the opening point.
Satwik-Chirag Extend India’s Lead
India’s star doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty took the court next and continued the momentum.
The pair, who have won two titles this season, defeated former world champions Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo 21-18, 24-22.
The win gave India a 2-0 lead and left them just one victory away from the semi-finals and a guaranteed medal.
Ayush Shetty Seals The Deal
Ayush Shetty then stepped up in the third match and delivered when India needed him.
The Badminton Asia Championships finalist defeated world No. 16 Koki Watanabe 21-10, 21-19.
Ayush’s victory completed a 3-0 win for India and secured their place in the semi-finals as well as an Asian Games medal.
India will now wait for the result of the China-Korea quarter-final to find out their semi-final opponent.
Lakshya’s Confidence Boost
The victory was particularly significant for Lakshya, who had struggled for consistency in the build-up to the Games.
He had suffered an early exit at the World Championships after losing to USA’s Garrett Tan, who was ranked No. 92 in the world at the time.
His mentor Vimal Kumar later revealed that Lakshya had also been dealing with a back injury.