- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 13 Sep 2025 07:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Hong Kong Open 2025: India's star shuttler Lakshya Sen has qualified for the men's singles summit clash of the ongoing tournament on Saturday, where he defeated the World No.6. Lakshya Sen had beaten him in straight games by 23-21, 22-20, and will now face China's Li Shifeng during the summit clash.
The semifinal match tested Lakshya's nerves. During the first game, he had a flying start as he was leading by 3-0, but Chou then leveled the score at 12-12 after scoring four points. Both of them had played long rallies, where Lakshya showed brilliant shot placement, which included a forehand. Chou was leading by 15-14, but then committed unforced errors and helped Lakshya lead by 18-15. It became intense when the score was leveled at 19-19 in a 51-shot rally, which was ended by Chou, who had hit the net. Lakshya then scored his third game point and won the first game.
The second game became more dramatic. Since the match was evenly poised, Lakshya was trailing by 4-7 and 13-10 as Chou began playing aggressively. After trailing at 17-14, he then bounced back brilliantly as he saved three game points and scored five consecutive points, which included smashes, drop shots, and brilliant defence. He won the match with a net-cord finish and thus stayed calm in pressure situations.
This win has helped Lakshya qualify for a Super 500 summit clash for the first time after the 2023 Canada Open. He had also clinched a Super 300 title last year during the Syed Modi International tournament.