French Open: Lakshya, Satwik-Chirag advance to semis; PV Sindhu loses

The French Open Super 750 badminton tournament witnessed a flurry of exceptional performances from the Indian contingent, with Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty making their mark in the quarterfinals, on Friday.

Lakshya Sen emerged victorious against former world champion Loh Kean Yew with a 19-21 21-15 21-13 triumph in a gripping 78-minute encounter. This victory marks Sen as only the third Indian to advance to the semifinals of the French Open in the super series and world tour era, following in the footsteps of Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy.

In the men's doubles category, the world No. 1 Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who clinched the title in 2022, secured their spot in the semifinals with a commanding 21-19 21-13 victory over Thailand's Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren. Their journey to the next round sets up a thrilling clash against world champions Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae.

However, the day also saw a valiant effort from PV Sindhu in the women's singles quarterfinals. The two-time Olympic medallist, who recently returned from a four-month injury layoff, showcased her prowess against Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China. In a marathon battle lasting one hour and 32 minutes, Sindhu displayed remarkable stroke play and physical fitness. Despite her efforts, Sindhu fell short with a 24-22 17-21 18-21 loss to the second seed and defending champion Chen.

This encounter marked a rematch of their previous meetings, with Sindhu's last victory over Chen dating back to her 2019 World Championships gold. Despite a neck-and-neck battle, Chen's steady performance ultimately sealed the win.