All England: Steady Lakshya Downs Antonsen

India Open champion Lakshya Sen’s recent sizzling form showed no sign of letting up as the 20-year-old downed yet another top 10 player – No.3 Anders Antonsen – to make the quarterfinals of the YONEX All England Open.

Sen, who in recent weeks has beaten world champion Loh Kean Yew and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen – strung up yet another consistent performance as he gave Antonsen few openings in a 21-16 21-18 result.

There was a brief spell in the second game when the Dane had the better of the exchanges, but Sen shot ahead from 16-all with three quick points to effectively put the match beyond his reach.

Lakshya Sen gave Antonsen few openings all through the match.

Antonsen’s frustration at his inability to find a way past the Indian was evident, and he offered little by way of explanation.

“It was not my day, I wasn’t consistent enough. I was playing well at times, but I wasn’t solid enough, made too many mistakes. Lakshya capitalised on every opportunity. He’s playing well at the moment. He’s very consistent, moves well and gets a lot back.

“I need match practice, This is my first tournament this year. I need to play some matches, get into rhythm again, find my consistency.”

Sen, who had a great start to 2022 by winning the India Open and making the final of the German Open, relished the feeling at having made the quarterfinals of a tournament that he held in high esteem.

“There was a bit of drift, so keeping that in mind, I had two game plans in mind,” said Sen. “In the first game I was just trying to keep the shuttle back and I could get a good length. In the second game from the faster side, I took my chances and going for my smashes really helped.

“I’m in really good form and the tournaments I played last year gave me a lot of confidence. The India Open win was a big boost. As a kid you always want to win at the All England as this event has a rich history, so it’s an important tournament for me and I look forward to doing well.

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