Arctic Open: Lakshya Sen knocked out in Round of 16, George loses to Christie
Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen was knocked out of the Arctic Open badminton tournament after a hard-fought match against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday. Sen, seeded eighth in the tournament, squandered a one-game lead to eventually lose 21-19, 18-21, 15-21 after a grueling 70-minute contest.
The 23-year-old had started strong, claiming the first game with a narrow 21-19 margin. However, Chou fought back to win the next two games, eliminating Sen from the Super 500 event. This defeat marks another setback for the Indian shuttler, who has been struggling for consistency since his impressive run to the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022.
It was a disappointing day for Indian badminton fans, as the country’s entire contingent made early exits from the tournament. Indian qualifier Kiran George, who had stunned World No. 25 Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in the first round, was no match for fifth seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. George fell 17-21, 8-21 in just 33 minutes, unable to replicate his earlier success.
In the women’s singles, all three Indian shuttlers-Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, and Aakarshi Kashyap-were also eliminated in the second round. Bansod put up a lackluster performance against Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, losing 15-21, 8-21. Meanwhile, Unnati Hooda fought hard but eventually succumbed 10-21, 19-21 to Canada’s Michelle Li. Aakarshi Kashyap was outclassed by second seed Han Yue of China, losing 9-21, 8-21.
India’s mixed doubles pair of Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath also suffered a tough exit. They were defeated by the Chinese duo Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi in straight games, 12-21, 15-21.
Later in the day, the women’s doubles pair of Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda were set to face top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China, in a challenging contest for a quarterfinal spot.
