Indian badminton ace Lakshya Sen triumphed over fellow countryman Ayush Shetty to advance into the semifinals of the 2025 Hong Kong Open on Friday. In a thrilling all-India quarterfinal, Sen clinched victory after securing the opening game 21-16, conceding the second 21-17, and dominating the decisive game 21-13. Sen needed just 66 minutes to secure his place in the semifinals, where he is set to face Chou Tien Chen, according to the Badminton Association of India.
Simultaneously, Sen showcased his prowess earlier by defeating India’s HS Prannoy in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The world No. 20 outplayed Prannoy with scores of 15-21, 21-18, 21-10, taking an hour and eight minutes. Meanwhile, men’s doubles favorites Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also made headlines by clinching a semifinal spot. They overcame a fierce challenge from Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap, emerging victorious in a tense three-game match.
The Indian pair took the first game 21-14, narrowly lost the second 20-22, but rebounded assertively to win the third 21-16. They are set to face Chen Cheng Kuan and Lin Bing-Wei of Chinese Taipei next. Earlier, Rankireddy and Shetty staged a comeback against Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul in the men’s doubles pre-quarterfinals, prevailing 18-21, 21-15, 21-11 after an hour-long match.
(With inputs from agencies.)
