Lakshya clinches maiden BWF World Tour title
ALMERE, THE NETHERLANDS: Rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched his maiden BWF World Tour title on Sunday by winning the Dutch Open men’s singles title after beating Yusuke Onodera of Japan in the summit clash here on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Indian rallied from a game deficit to defeat his world no. 160 opponent 15-21 21-14 21-15 in a final that lasted 63 minutes. The Dutch Open is a BWF World Tour Super 100 tournament.
In the opening game, Lakshya fell behind early on and could not erase the deficit, despite coming as close as 10-11 and 13-14. Onodera managed to keep his nose ahead and pocketed the opening game to earn the bragging rights.
The second game started on a competitive note with the pair trying to outwit each other. The Indian grabbed a 8-5 lead at one stage but the Japanese clawed his way back.
Lakhsya again managed to move to 12-8 with four straight points. Onodera narrowed it down to 11-12 but Lakshya jumped to 18-11 and then roared back into the contest.
In the decider, Lakshya came up with a clear strategy and managed to keep his rival at a distance.
INDIA BEAT NZ
JOHORBAHRU: Sanjay struck twice in Indian junior hockey team’s dominating 8-2 win over New Zealand in Sultan of Johor Cup.
Apart from Sanjay (17’, 22’), Dilpreet Singh (6’), Shilanand Lakra (14’), Mandeep Mor (22’), Suman Beck (45’), Pratap Lakra (50’) and Sudeep Chirmako (51’) scored for India while Dylan Thomas (28’, 44’) notched two goals for New Zealand.