Sports

Sen, Saina lose, Satwik-Chirag pull out, Indian challenge ends in India Open

Defending champion Lakshya Sen suffered a loss to world number 20 Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament here on Thursday. World No. 12 Sen was unable to capitalize on an early lead at the IG Stadium here as he went down 21-16 15-21 18-21 to Gemke in a second round match that lasted one hour and 21 minutes. . Earlier, in men’s doubles, defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to withdraw from the tournament.

They took this decision because of Satwik’s hip injury. London Olympics bronze medalist Saina Nehwal also had no match against Olympic champion Chen Yufei as she lost 9-21, 12-21 in just 32 minutes, ending India’s challenge in the tournament. Earlier in women’s doubles, Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly also crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals after losing 9-21, 16-21 to sixth seeds Zhang Shujian and Zheng Yue of China.

Men’s doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala also lost 14-21 10-21 to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in just 33 minutes. Sen was considered a favorite to win against Gemke. The Indian had earlier won both against Gemke. The Indian player, however, could not perform well in the crucial moments while the Danish player played well.

Both the players played well in the beginning and at one stage the score was tied at 9-9. Sen then collected some good smashes to take a 17-12 lead. Sen then got six game points, of which he won the first game on the third. Thereafter, however, Sen lost his cool and Gemke took the lead. The Danish player soon went ahead 14-10.

Sen also protested for a point in the middle. However, Gemke didn’t look back and took the second game soon. Sen committed some unforced errors in the third and deciding game, which Gemke took advantage of to take an 8-1 lead. The Indian tried to make a comeback amid huge cheers from the crowd and scored five consecutive points to take the score to 6-8. Gemke had taken a four-point lead at the interval.

Sen made unforced errors after that as Gemke went ahead 14-8. The Indian, however, did not give up and soon made it 13-14. Sen continued to fight but Gemke came close to winning the match by taking an 18-15 lead. Gemke got two match points on which he did not show any error.

Disappointed with the loss, Sen said after the match, “I didn’t start well in the decider. Being behind 1-8 is not acceptable. I tried to make a comeback but it didn’t prove to be enough in the end. I showed courage in the last moments but also made some mistakes.

Gemke will next face top seed and compatriot Viktor Axelsen, who beat Shi Yu Qi of China 21-16, 16-21, 21-9. In men’s singles, fourth seed Jonathan Christie of Indonesia, third seed Loh Keen Yew of Singapore and fifth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei have also advanced to the next round. In women’s singles, top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, Carolina Marin of Spain and He Bingjiao of China also advanced to the quarterfinals.

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