Post by : Meena Ariff

India’s badminton ace Lakshya Sen kicked off the new season on a strong note at the Malaysia Open Super 750 tournament, advancing to the second round after a hard-fought win against Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh.

The 24-year-old from Almora, who had a stellar previous season with an Australian Open title and a finals appearance at the Hong Kong Open, spent 70 intense minutes on the court to defeat world No. 21 Teh. The match saw Sen claim the first game 21-16, drop the second 15-21, and bounce back to seal the victory 21-14 in a thrilling opener.

With this win, Sen, currently ranked World No. 13, now moves forward to face either sixth seed Christo Popov of France or Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in the next round.

In the women’s singles, India’s Malvika Bansod, returning after a six-month layoff due to a left knee injury, faced a tough challenge against Thailand’s former world champion and seventh seed, Ratchanok Intanon. Bansod struggled throughout, eventually losing 11-21, 11-21 in the opening round.

Later in the day, India’s Ayush Shetty, who won the US Open Super 300 last year, is set to take on Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, in what promises to be an exciting encounter.

In men’s doubles, the Indian pair of veteran M R Arjun and 22-year-old Hariharan Amsakarunan will take on Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita, aiming to make a strong start in the doubles draw.

With top Indian shuttlers entering the Malaysia Open in full form, fans are hopeful for more thrilling performances as the tournament progresses.

#Global News #Sports News