IMAGE: Lakshya Sen enters second round. Photograph: ANI Photo
India’s Ayush Shetty stunned 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in straight games while Lakshya Sen also made a fine start to advance to the men’s singles round of 16 at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament, in Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday.
Youngster Shetty, who showed promise by winning the US Open Super 300, notched a 21-12, 21-17 upset win in the round-of-32 match that lasted just 39 minutes.
Shetty runs into top seed Shi Yu Qi of China in the round of 16.
Jia is a former All England champion, now ranked world No. 144. He is playing his first tournament since the China Masters in September last. He had suffered an injury.
The 24-year-old Sen, meanwhile, notched a hard-fought win over Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore.
Sen, who won the Australian Open and also registered a final finish at Hong Kong last season, took 70 minutes to get past World No. 21 Teh 21-16, 15-21 21-14 in a thrilling opener.
A 2021 world championships bronze medallist, Sen, currently ranked World No. 13, will next face Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod, returning after a six-month layoff due to a left knee injury, however, suffered a 11-21 11-21 loss to seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, a former world champion in the opening round.
Indian men’s doubles pair of experienced M R Arjun and 22-year-old Hariharan Amsakarunan also lost to Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita 10-21 20-22.
