Lakshya Sen Exits Asian Games After Narrow Defeat to Loh Kean Yew

Nagoya, September 26 (Daily Kiran) : Lakshya Sen’s campaign at the Asian Games came to an end on Saturday in Nagoya, where he faced Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the men’s singles second round. Loh defeated Sen with scores of 21-12, 15-21, 21-14.

In the opening game, Sen appeared to be in control, racing to a 5-1 lead. However, Loh responded with a remarkable rally, scoring ten consecutive points to take command of the match. He ultimately secured the first game 21-12.

Sen rebounded in the second game, adopting a more aggressive strategy to clinch it 21-15.

The decisive third game saw Loh gradually build his lead, reaching 11-6 at the changeover. Sen attempted a comeback, narrowing the gap to 13-14 and later to 14-16. Yet, Loh regained momentum, scoring three consecutive points to put himself in a strong position. He eventually reached match point and completed his victory after one hour and ten minutes of play. With this win, Loh improved his head-to-head record against Sen to 7-5.

This defeat marks the end of Sen’s individual journey at the Games, although he had previously contributed to India winning a bronze medal in the men’s team event.

The loss also signals a challenging start for India’s badminton contingent in individual competitions, as the country’s top-ranked men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, were eliminated earlier.

With Sen’s exit, India will now look to its remaining shuttlers to advance in the individual events.