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Lakshya Sen continued his imagination tally and kept India's hopes afloat astatine the All England Open, stunning China's satellite No. 6 Li Shi Feng successful consecutive games to tempest into the semifinals successful Birmingham.
The satellite No. 12 Indian, who was a finalist successful 2022, ousted Li 21-13, 21-16 successful the men’s singles quarterfinal that lasted an hr astatine the Utilita Arena connected Friday (March 6, 2026).
The triumph besides served arsenic a saccharine revenge for Lakshya, who had mislaid to the aforesaid hostile astatine the quarterfinal signifier of the 2025 edition.
Lakshya dominated the opening crippled and built a comfy pb earlier Li attempted a comeback midway through.
The Indian, however, stepped up his onslaught to adjacent retired the crippled convincingly.
The 2nd crippled saw a person contention with some the players trading points successful the aboriginal exchanges.
Lakshya held a slender pb astatine the mid-game interval and past pulled distant successful the closing stages to seal the match.
The triumph besides improved Lakshya's head-to-head grounds against Li Shi Feng to 8 wins successful 15 matches.
Lakshya, the top-ranked Indian badminton subordinate who besides made the semifinals present successful 2024, is present the lone Indian near successful the fray this year.
He had earlier stunned satellite No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi successful the opening round.
He volition look Canada’s satellite No. 16 Victor Lai successful the semifinals.
The different Indian players were knocked retired earlier successful the week. The men’s doubles brace of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty mislaid successful the archetypal round, portion Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda besides bowed retired successful the opening circular of women’s singles.
Two-time Olympian PV Sindhu had withdrawn from the tourney aft failing to scope Birmingham successful clip owed to question disruptions successful West Asia, portion the mixed doubles brace of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila retired from their lucifer connected Thursday.
