Canada Open: Lakshya Sen storms into final, Sindhu knocked out in semis

CALGARY (CANADA)— Commonwealth Games Gold medalist Lakshya Sen stormed into the men’s singles final of Canada Open 2023 badminton tournament after defeating Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in straight games 21-17, 21-14 in the semifinal, here.

The conditions were a bit tough at Calgary but Sen negotiated it well to reach his first summit clash of the year. He last played a final at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022.

This is also Lakshya’s second appearance in the final of BWF World Tour Super 500 event and world no. 19 Indian will be up against reigning All England champion Li Shi Feng of China on Sunday night.

The 21-year old Sen’s previous best performance this season was a third-place finish at the Thailand Open, but now he has the opportunity to claim the Canada Open title.

However, ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu faced disappointment in her women’s singles semifinal match against world number one Akane Yamaguchi on Saturday night.

Sindhu, currently ranked 15th, lost in straight games with a score of 14-21, 15-21. This marked Sindhu’s second consecutive defeat against Yamaguchi, following her loss in the opening round of the Singapore Open.

The 28-year old Sindhu is going through a lean patch and has not won any titles since her return from an injury layoff in January. Her last title came at the Commonwealth Games in August 2022 where she sustained an ankle injury which had ruled her out for six months.

She had a runner-up finish at the Madrid Spain Masters and a third-place finish at the Malaysia Masters.