Indian Lakshya Sen plays against Chinese Li Shifeng. (David Davies/PA via AP)
Lakshya Sen advanced to the semi-finals of the All England Championships by defeating former champion Li Shifeng 21-13, 21-16 in Birmingham on Friday.This is Lakshya’s third semi-final appearance in a Super 1000 event.
The Indian had previously finished second in the 2022 edition.The Almora striker was in full flow against Lee in both matches.
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The Chinese player, who suffered a serious ankle injury during the World Tour Finals last December, was not at his best and struggled to keep up with the Indian.Lakshya led by five points (11-5) at the break in the first game and did well to protect the lead after that.After the break, Lee reduced the deficit to 12-9, but Lakshya refused to give in under pressure.
He mixed powerful strikes with sharp retrieves. At ages 12-15, the two participated in a 65-shot rally, which Lee won. But as the momentum changed, Lakshya hit back with a six-point lead to clinch the first game.In the second match, Lee started the match strong and led 3-1 before Lakshya scored five points in a row. Although the Indian only had a slim one-point lead at the break (11-10), they dominated the second half as Lee struggled to keep going.
Lakshya will face the winner of the quarter-final match between Japanese Koki Watanabe and Canadian Victor Lai in the semi-finals.From the bottom half of the draw, Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei and Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand also qualified for the semi-finals.