Shenzhen [China], December 27 (ANI): India’s top-ranked men’s shuttler Lakshya Sen stormed into the semi-finals of the King Cup International Badminton Open 2024 after clinching his maiden victory over Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long on Friday.
Lakshya, ranked 12th in the world, defeated world number 17 with a 10-21, 21-13, 21-13 scoreline. The Indian shuttler had a slow start in the opening game and went down easily.
Lakshya pulled his act together in the second game and raced to a three-point lead before the mid-game interval. Angus Ng Ka Long stayed in the game with his speed, but multiple forced errors led to his downfall.
This was Lakshya’s first win over Angus Ng Ka Long in four meetings. The two players last encountered at the Malaysia Masters in 2023, which Long Angus won 21-14, 21-19.
In the semi-finals on Saturday, Lakshya will face off against 18-year-old Chinese youngster Hu Zhe An, who defeated the former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the other match. Hu Zhe’an is ranked 183rd in the senior rankings but is the reigning junior world champion and ranked junior world number one.
Paris 2024 silver medallist and the reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, Denmark’s world No. 2 Anders Antonsen, Frenchman Alex Lanier and China’s Wang Zi Jun are the remaining players competing in the King Cup.
An exhibition game between legends Lin Dan and Taufik Hidayat will be played on Saturday. This is the inaugural edition of the King Cup badminton tournament, launched by two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China.
The tournament is exclusively for the men’s singles, with eight players in the fray. The tournament follows a single-elimination format.
The King Cup International Badminton Open does not offer ranking points and is not a part of the BWF calendar. (ANI)
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