India’s Lakshya Sen delivered a remarkable performance, defeating rising French star Alex Lanier in straight games to finish third at the inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open in Shenzhen, China on Sunday (December 29).
In a thrilling encounter, the 23-year-old from Almora triumphed over Lanier with a dominant 21-17, 21-11 victory. This win not only marked their first-ever meeting on the court but also earned the Indian player a lucrative prize purse of approximately Rs. 36 lakh.
Sen, India’s highest-ranked singles player at world No. 12, claimed third place at the inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open with a commanding 21-17, 21-11 victory over world No. 18 Lanier in the playoff match.
Semi-final defeat
Lakshya Sen advanced to the third-place showdown after a semi-final defeat to China’s Hu Zhe’an, the reigning junior world champion and world No. 1.
He bounced back from a semi-final defeat to claim third place at the inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open.
After a hard-fought 19-21, 19-21 loss to reigning world junior champion Hu Zhe’an of China in the semi-finals, Lakshya took on world No. 18 Lanier in the third-place playoff.
Lanier, who had been defeated by Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the semi-finals, faced India’s Lakshya Sen in the third-place playoff on Sunday.
The French shuttler lead by a single point at the midway stage of the opening game. However, Lakshya bounced back to take control and eventually clinched the first game.
The Indian shuttler began the match strongly, establishing a 6-1 lead, but Lanier fought back to level the score at 10-10, even taking a one-point advantage at the interval. Lakshya regained control, moving ahead 18-15 and then sealed the first game with a well-placed shot as Lanier went wide.
After the break, Lakshya maintained his momentum, building an 8-6 lead and swiftly extending it to 15-8. He then earned nine match points and clinched the victory when Lanier sent a shot long, securing a dominant 21-17, 21-11 win.
King Cup International Badminton Open
Earlier, Sen had defeated Hong Kong China’s Angus Ng Ka Long in the quarter finals.
He had narrowly missed out on a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finishing in fourth place in the men’s badminton singles event.
The inaugural King Cup International Badminton Open, launched by two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China, is underway with a men’s singles competition featuring eight players.
The tournament does not offer ranking points and is not part of the BWF calendar.
India’s sole representative in the prestigious invitational event is Lakshya Sen, who reached the semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
