ODENSE, Oct 13: Fast-rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen made a successful return to competitive badminton, beating Christo Popov in straight games in the opening round of the USD 750,000 Denmark Open, which marked the resumption of the international calendar after a coronavirus-forced break of seven months.
The 19-year-old Indian, who claimed five titles including two Super 100 tournaments last year, produced a clinical performance to outwit Popov 21-9, 21-15 to reach the second round.
He will take on the winner of the match between Denmark�s Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus and Belgium�s Maxime Moreels.
�I moved quite well, that was the key. In the second game he had a lead but I had made a few mistakes. I was able to cut down on them and find my rhythm,� Lakshya, who is currently ranked World No. 27, was quoted as saying by Badminton World Federation (BWF).
�I�m very happy to be playing again after seven months and it felt very normal on the court.�
Lakshya looked in good touch as he moved well on the court and found his touch from the word go.
The Indian jumped to a 11-8 lead at the break in the opening game and didn�t allow his opponent to make a comeback, reeling off three points to move to 14-8.
He then pocketed the remaining seven points on the trot as Popov could only watch helplessly.
The second game was a more competitive affair as both the players fought tooth and nail, moving neck-and-neck till 12-12.
After that, Lakshya once again broke off and moved to 15-12 and 16-14 before closing the match comfortably. � PTI
