Lakshya Sen saves three match points, reaches Australian Open 2025 final
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Lakshya Sen saves three match points, reaches Australian Open 2025 final")
Lakshya Sen saves three match points, reaches Australian Open 2025 final Photograph: (AFP)
Seeded 14th in the world, Lakshya started the semi-final under pressure as Chou controlled the early rallies and jumped to a 4-0 lead. The Indian struggled to settle and lost the opening game 17-21.
Indian ace suttler Lakshya Sen has moved one step closer to a major title on Saturday (Nov 22) after reaching the Australian Open 2025 final with a hard-fought win over world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen in Sydney. In a match that swung back and forth for 86 minutes, Lakshya held his nerve, saved three match points and delivered one of his strongest performances of the season to stay in contention for the title.
Seeded 14th in the world, Lakshya started the semi-final under pressure as Chou controlled the early rallies and jumped to a 4-0 lead. The Indian struggled to settle and lost the opening game 17-21. But Lakshya has built a reputation for staying calm in tough moments, and that quality showed again when the second game began.
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Chou opened a 7-4 lead, but Lakshya fought back by changing pace, tightening his defence, and forcing longer rallies. Soon, he levelled the score at 12-12. Even then, the game kept slipping away from him as Chou earned three match points at 20-17. Lakshya refused to give in, saved all three, and turned the game around to take it 24-22.
With momentum finally on his side, Lakshya controlled the decider. He attacked early, pushed Chou to the backcourt, and maintained a steady lead. The pressure shifted completely, and Lakshya closed the third game 21-16 to make his second final of the BWF 2025 World Tour.
This win also marked Lakshya’s fourth victory over Chou Tien Chen in eight meetings. Earlier this year, he had beaten the same opponent in a tight semi-final at the Hong Kong Open.
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Lakshya is now the only Indian still alive in the tournament. He reached the semis by defeating fellow Indian Ayush Shetty in the quarter-final. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, meanwhile, bowed out after losing their men’s doubles quarter-final on Friday.
Lakshya will now face either world No. 12 Chou Yi Lin of Chinese Taipei or Japan’s Yushi Tanaka, ranked 26th, in Sunday’s (Nov 23) final.
