Lakshya Sen pockets bronze at World Juniors

The 17-year-old, who had clinched the Asian Junior title this year, fought hard before going down 22-20, 16-21, 13-21 to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.

Published : Nov 18, 2018 11:58 IST

Bengaluru  Karnataka  21/08/2017  Lakshya Sen  World No 1 junior Badminton Player in bengaluru on Monday.
Photo: Sampath Kumar G P
Bengaluru Karnataka 21/08/2017 Lakshya Sen World No 1 junior Badminton Player in bengaluru on Monday. Photo: Sampath Kumar G P
lightbox-info

Bengaluru Karnataka 21/08/2017 Lakshya Sen World No 1 junior Badminton Player in bengaluru on Monday. Photo: Sampath Kumar G P

India’s Lakshya Sen settled for a bronze medal in the World Junior Badminton Championship after suffering a narrow defeat to top-seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men’s singles semifinals here.

The 17-year-old from Almora, who had clinched the Asian Junior title this year, fought hard before going down 22-20, 16-21, 13-21 to Vitidsarn in a match that went on for an hour and 11 minutes on Saturday.

“I could not get into my usual rhythm, though I managed to win the first game. But he (Kunlavut) was too strong in the second. I could not play to my strong points and my opponent had all answers to my strokes,” said the world junior No. 3 shuttler.

READ: Lakshya Sen - Flying the family flag high

Lakshya, who was the last Indian hope in the tournament, began well and in what was a touch-and-go opening game, the Indian seized the opportunity past midway and sealed the extended game in his favour.

But the Thai came back strongly in the second game to level 1-1 and keep his chances alive.

The Indian, who lacked conviction after losing the second game, was unable to gather himself in the decider as the Thai ran up a good lead and maintained it throughout to secure a place in the final.

Saina Nehwal is the only Indian to have won a gold in the tournament during the 2008 Pune edition.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment