Lakshya Sen Through To England Open Badminton Championships Semis! Outclasses Li Shi Feng

Last Updated:March 06, 2026, 23:52 IST

Lakshya Sen reached the All England Open Badminton semi-final by defeating China's Li Shi Feng 21-13, 21-16.

Lakshya Sen secured his place in the men’s singles semi-final of the All England Open Badminton Championships on Thursday, beating China’s sixth seed Li Shi Feng

Lakshya Sen defeated Li Shi Feng 21-13, 21-16.

How Lakshay Reached Semis?

Earlier, World No. 12 Lakshya, a finalist in the 2022 edition and a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, showed sharp form as he battled through intense rallies to outlast Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus, a former world top 10 player, 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 in a thrilling round-of-16 match.

Lakshya entered the quarter-final match after losing all three previous encounters against Li Shi Feng and initially fell behind in the opening game. He rallied from 4-6 down to take a 15-11 lead, maintaining pressure with aggressive returns and precise placement.

He extended his advantage to 17-13 with a well-timed overhead attack, but Ng Ka Long narrowed the gap late in the game.

At 15-17, Lakshya left a shot at the backline that was judged out. With no video challenges left, he had to let it go. He then executed a sharp smash to reach 19-17, but Ng Ka Long levelled at 19-19 with a cross-court winner.

Another jump smash gave Lakshya a game point, and he secured it when Ng Ka Long hit wide.

Continuing his momentum in the second game, Lakshya started with a cross-court smash. He maintained consistent shot quality, blending power and precision to lead 11-4 at the interval. He delivered another incredible straight smash to make it 14-7.

At 12-17, Ng Ka Long engaged in a superlative rally, pushing Lakshya to the limit to stay afloat. Ng Ka Long then fought back, winning five consecutive points to move to 17-19.

An impressive cross-court smash gave Lakshya three match points.

Although he missed one and Ng Ka Long saved another to make it 20-20, Lakshya earned another match point, only to give it away. Ng Ka Long then forced a decider by winning a game point with a smash.

Regrouping for the third game, Lakshya showed great mental strength, surging to 6-2 with some exciting shots. His defence was robust, with Ng Ka Long unable to penetrate it.

A precise cross-court shot took Lakshya to 10-4, and he soon had a six-point cushion at the interval after an incredible cross-court net deception.

The rallies shortened as Lakshya drew errors from Ng Ka Long, who trailed 6-14.

Ng Ka Long tried to challenge Lakshya, but the Indian’s superb defence, including diving at will, kept the rallies alive.

Lakshya increased the speed and intensity of the rallies to move to 18-7. He capitalised on a weak return at the net to get within two points of victory.

Lakshya soon earned 11 match points when Ng Ka Long found the net. He squandered one before another shot from Ng Ka Long sailed out, sealing Lakshya’s win.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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