The fifth-seeded Christie, who prevailed by riding on his strong defence and quality shots to pull out a 21-15 13-21 21-16 victory, banked on the 21-year-old Almora player’s ability to rebound from an opening game reverse to keep his opponent under pressure.
In the semifinals of the Japan Open Super 750 badminton competition here on Saturday, star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen fought valiantly but ultimately lost to world no. 9 and Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie in three games.
The fifth-seeded Christie, who rode on his strong defence and quality of shots to pull out a 21-15 13-21 21-16 victory, banked on the 21-year-old from Almora’s ability to rebound from an opening game reverse to keep his competitor under pressure.
The two had a 1-1 head-to-head record going into the tournament, and it turned out to be another exciting battle, with Sen and Christie taking part in some superb rallies over the course of the 68-minute affair.
Sen is reputed to be speedier, thus Christie needed to make shots of exceptional quality to deal with his speed.
The Indian, however, quickly took a 7-4 lead since the Indonesian wasn’t reliable and committed too many unforced errors. Sen’s mistakes on the sidelines and Christie’s excellent net shot, though, allowed Christie to recover and score three points.
Sen launched two thunderous smashes to maintain his lead, and after Christie’s long, wide shot, Sen headed into the break with a two-point lead.
After the game resumed, Christie evened the score by playing some outstanding blocks and drop shots. After winning a 32-shot rally, he increased his lead to 15-12.
After Sen missed, the Indonesian moved to 19-13 by mixing up his shots in the beginning of his rallies and also finishing brilliantly.
Sen missed a shot after a brief exchange that resulted in Christie winning the game with a backhand flick near the goal. Christie had five game points.
Pegged back, Sen needed to adapt his plan, and in the second game, he did so after winning the first duel.
To make his opponent work hard, the Indian changed up the tempo of the rallies and delivered some strong shots. In order to thwart Christie’s plan, he also mixed his services.
Christie blasted twice into the net while Sen produced some superb smashes and drops. Sen had an advantage of 11-5 going into the break thanks to another cross-court return.
Sen was called for a service fault for height at 13:7. Sen, however, managed to maintain his lead with a stunning reply during a frantic rally and another cross-court leap smash.
Sen successfully exchanged flats before smashing the ball straight. Sen scored after Christie took a long shot and another poor attempt at the net earned him seven game points.
As leads regularly changed hands, the decider was another exhilarating journey.
Sen struggled to maintain composure as he tried to outsmart his opponent in the rallies, but Christie was able to maintain control of the situation and advance to a 9-6 lead.
After making two accurate returns, the Indonesian took control of the game with a four-point lead in the closing minutes.
Sen tried everything in his power as the game resumed, but Christie’s tenacious defence held strong as the Indonesians led 15-11.
Sen made it 13-17 with another cross-court jump smash, but he then missed wide.
A precise smash from Christie brought the score to 19-15, and Sen’s slightly wide shot gave Christie five match points. Prior to pushing one into the net, Sen saved one with a smash on the backline.
