Badminton Asia Juniors: Lakshya Sen progresses into third round

Junior World No. 1 Lakshya Sen made seamless progress into the third round of Under-19 men’s singles as the individual competition of the Badminton Asia Junior Championships got under way at Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday. Sen, top seeded in this category, blew away Singapore’s Ruisheng Jethro Tan, 21-9, 21-9 in 20 minutes.

The 15-year-old, who got a bye in the first round, next takes on Sri Lanka’s Gunatilleke Sewmina for a place in the pre-quarter-finals.

Sen, who is now at his career-best ranking of 163rd, is India’s best hope for a medal at the continental championships. Lakshya had some brilliant performances in March when he reached back-to-back finals at the Dutch Junior Open and German Junior Open.

Apart from Lakshya, 15th seeded Kartikey Gulshan Kumar also advanced to Round 3, courtesy of a commanding 21-4, 21-5 win over Sovan Samady Sum of Cambodia. The Indian teenager next faces Indonesia’s Muhammad Rehan Diaz.

Ira Sharma upset in women’s singles

In the women’s singles Under-19 category, fifth seed Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha are the only two Indians to have made it to the second round.

Kashyap easily beat Hong Kong’s Wong Hiu Ching 21-4, 21-12 to set up a meeting with Korean shuttler Ga Eun Park.

Chaliha, meanwhile, defeated Macau’s I Kuan Ao 21-12, 21-11 for a second round showdown with China’s Zhiyi Wang.

But curtains came down on the campaign of the talented duo of Ira Sharma and Prashi Joshi. Sharma has been touted as the next big thing in Indian women’s badminton for quite some time.

The junior World No. 21, however, had to bow out in the very first round against the 131st ranked Chinese Taipei player Hsieh Yu Ying, who won, 21-13, 21-12. Joshi was halted by Sarah Joy Barredo, 17-21, 21-16, 15-21.

In mixed doubles, India has three pairs in the second round - Krishna Prasad Garaga/Rutaparna Panda, Dhruv Kapila/Mithula UK and Sanjai Srivatsa Dhanraj/Tapaswini Samantaray.

Garaga and Panda have a tough task up next with the top seeds Rinov Rivaldy and Angelica Wiratama looming.

The men’s doubles top seeded team of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Dhruv Kapila begins their campaign against the Indonesian combine of Ghifari Anandaffa Prihardika and Ferdian Mahardika Ranialdy.

Reza Farhath/Anugraha Vijayakumar and Rutaparna Panda/Mithula UK will be leading the Indian challenge in women’s doubles.