Hong Kong Open badminton: Lakshya Sen shows why he is still India’s top singles player, with clinical use of the net against Ayush Shetty

Sen now has a good chance to make his first Super 500 final of the season (Kidambi Srikanth made India’s first of 2025 at Malaysia Masters), if he can get past Chou Tien Chen, whom he had beaten at Paris Olympics but trails 4-2 in the Head-to-Head.

#HongKongOpenSuper500

Another ‘how-did-he-win-that-point?’ moment for Ayush Shetty in Hong Kong. That save at the backcourt mid-rally… 👌🏽

🎥 BWF TV pic.twitter.com/PDgS8r4oZz

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) September 12, 2025

It would be tempting to find positives for Ayush, who will face games and opponents similarly fortified and clear, as Sen’s once they get past the fear of his big game. Sen can be vulnerable against Axelsen, Lee Zii Jia & Co, but it must never be forgotten that he has the clever means to counter their aggression, having managed it at the Olympics no less. What those two did in Paris, but Ayush couldn’t, was to trigger chaos and doubt in Sen’s defense by making him scurry around the court, and then end with a big one.

Sen absolutely commanded the net area, and pushed gears at the halfway mark in Set 1 and Set 3, leaving Ayush breathless, though not technically tired. The rectangular pocket in front of the net is where Sen tests his confidence, and he was totally bossing it, choosing the correct options – dribble, tumbles, pushes or lifts – while anticipating what Ayush would next throw at him.

His usual hurrying and hustling was not even called into action as Ayush attempted to strike cheeky repartee at the net, but could not get coherence into his point construction. Sen caught the shuttle high and early, moved faster, and took off around the 10-point mark from a side that didn’t pose much windy troubles.

Lakshya Sen in action during his quartefinals win against Ayush Shetty at the Li-Ning Hong Open 2025. (Credit: Badminton Photo)

Earlier, he had also gone after Ayush’s obvious weakness of smashes across the body, on the backhand, with the twisting and turning making the towering figure labour over the next return.

Ayush showed plenty of defiance from 11-15 down in the second, to take advantage of those lapses that are so routine with Sen. But even if the 20-year-old took the second set, it would be a stretch to say he did everything he ought to have in the first or third to disturb Sen’s plans. The senior has a formidable read on the game, is one of the smartest too, probably had a point to prove, a top rank to protect, and can be absolutely explosive in that net zone.

For long periods of 66 minutes, Sen didn’t have to leave his sentry tower and simply guarded the overheads with arching limbs from one spot. Ayush did well to push a decider. But once there, he faded out against a slightly more accomplished opponent, who clearly knew his game pat from all those training sessions.