Published 10:02 IST, November 25th 2019
Lakshya Sen continues winning streak as he lifts the Scottish Open title
18-year-old Lakshya Sen wins the Scottish Open to continue his end-of-the-year winning run. He has reportedly won four titles in just the last three months.
Lakshya Sen won the Scottish Open title on Sunday evening, on November 24, adding yet another feather to his name. Sen defeated Brazil’s Ygor Coelho 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 in 56 minutes to lift the title.
Fourth title in three months
The 18-year-old has had a very good end to the year, winning a series of titles, which has also given a boost to his world rankings. Sen is currently ranked 41 in the world rankings, having won the Dutch Open, SaarLorLux Open in Germany, the Belgian International, and the Scottish Open is now the fourth title for the youngster in the last three months.
Sen began his campaign with a straight-game win over Austria's Luka Wraber, before defeating compatriot Kiran George to reach the quarterfinals. The world no.41 Indian then recorded another straight-game win over sixth-seed Brian Yang before seeing off France's Christo Popov in the semifinals. After this win, Lakshya will break into the top-40 in the BWF rankings and inch closer to a direct qualification in the top grade 2 events.
Lakshya thus joined fellow Indians Anand Pawar (2010 and 2012), Arvind Bhatt (2004) and Pullela Gopichand (1999) in winning the Scottish Open title.
During the final, Lakshya had fallen behind in the opening game but he managed to turn the tables and grab a 10-8 lead. Coelho, however, reeled off six straight points to move to a 14-10 lead. The Indian kept breathing down his opponent's neck but Coelho ensured he had the bragging rights after the opening game.
Lakshya will now play at the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament at Lucknow starting November 26.
In other badminton news, Sain Nehwalhas decided to withdraw her participation from the upcoming Premier Badminton League in order to prepare for the international season. In a tweet on Sunday, Nehwal said that the past year has not been great for year because of various injuries and health issues and she wants to take time off. She also added that she hopes to be a part of the next season of BPL.
(With inputs from PTI)
Updated 14:07 IST, November 25th 2019