Birmingham, Mar 4: India’s Lakshya Sen gave a fine display of his mental strength and physical prowess, defeating China’s Shi Yu Qi in a gripping three-game contest that swung on razor thin margins and relentless pace here on Tuesday.
Lakshya prevailed 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in the contest that was as physical as it was tactical, marking his first victory over the former world No. 1 in a BWF world tour event.
Lakshya had defeated the Chinese in the Asian Games team championships in 2023.
“Lakshya was very calm and composed today. Right from the start, he made Shi work hard for every single point, and eventually the Chinese player began to tire,” Lakshya’s long-time mentor and coach Vimal Kumar said.
“At one stage in the second game, I felt Lakshya was getting a bit fatigued, but he recovered well and raised his level. His attacking play was excellent too.
“Overall, it was a very confidence boosting win,” he added.
Lakshya looked sharp from the outset, opening up an 11-7 lead at the mid game interval in the first game with sharp angled smashes and quick interceptions at the net. He stretched it to 17-12, repeatedly breaking down Shi’s defence with steep cross-court winners and tight net exchanges.
However, the contest turned dramatic when Lakshya squandered leads of 18-12 and 19-16. Shi suddenly came alive, reeling off three straight points to draw level at 20-20.The Chinese saved three game points in a tense finish and forced 21-all after another burst of attacking play.
Lakshya earned a fourth opportunity but let it slip before Shi’s backhand found the net to hand the Indian a fifth game point. This time Lakshya sealed it with a decisive cross court smash to pocket the opener.
After the change of ends in the second game, Shi made a positive start. Lakshya punished a short lift and unleashed a thunderous down the line smash to edge 6-5 ahead, but a miscued toss handed the Chinese the initiative at 9-8.
Shi entered the break with a three point cushion.