Culture & Entertainment · India Bureau
Sen's Asian Games singles dream ends in second-round loss to Loh
India's Lakshya Sen crashed out of the men's singles competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after falling to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the second round on Saturday. The defeat marks another setback for India's badminton contingent at the Games.
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World No. 14 Sen succumbed to a three-game defeat against the 13th-ranked Loh, with a final scoreline of 12-21, 21-15, 14-21 in a match lasting over an hour at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium. The Indian shuttler made a promising start, establishing a 5-1 lead in the opening game, but Loh orchestrated a remarkable turnaround with a 10-point winning streak that proved decisive in claiming the first game and setting the tone for the remainder of the contest.
Sen's exit represents a significant disappointment for the Indian badminton campaign, coming just a day after the shock early elimination of the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who had previously been ranked world No. 1. The twin setbacks have dampened India's medal prospects in badminton at this edition of the Games.
The 23-year-old Sen has yet to secure an individual medal at the Asian Games despite his impressive international credentials, which include Commonwealth Games gold in 2022 and a fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics. He did contribute to India's team silver in the previous Asian Games at Hangzhou and earned a bronze medal in the team event on Wednesday at these Games.