NEW DELHI: India's Lakshya Sen delivered a remarkable performance, securing a stunning three-game victory over World No. 3 Anders Antonsen to advance to the quarterfinals of the All England Championships in Birmingham on Thursday.
Sen, currently ranked World No. 18, fought back from a 2-8 deficit in the deciding game after dropping the second game, ultimately prevailing 24-22, 11-21, 21-14 over Antonsen, a three-time medalist at the World Championships, in a contentious second-round match.
Meanwhile, PV Sindhu, a double Olympic medalist, displayed glimpses of her prowess but succumbed to errors in the women's singles second round, suffering a 19-21, 11-21 defeat against world No. 1 An Se Young of Korea.
This marked Sindhu's seventh consecutive loss to the formidable An Se Young, who had made history as the first Korean woman singles player to clinch the World Championships title the previous year.
Sen entered the match with a 1-3 record against Antonsen, who had emerged victorious in their last three encounters. However, Sen showcased a strong performance, leading 17-15 in the first game before securing it with a series of powerful smashes.
Although Antonsen dominated the second game, Sen regrouped in the decider, rallying from behind to level the score at 13-13.
Momentum shifted in Sen's favor as he capitalised on Antonsen's errors, ultimately clinching the match with a series of well-executed shots and smashes.
(With PTI inputs)
