Canada Open 2023Lakshya Sen storms into BWF World Tour final, PV Sindu knocked out in semi-finals

By India Today Sports DeskLakshya Sen, the Indian badminton sensation, secured his spot in the final of the Canada Open, a BWF Super 500 event, after defeating Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the semifinals. This marks Sen’s first appearance in a BWF World Tour final in almost a year, with his last final being at the Commonwealth Games in August 2022.

Currently ranked 19th in the world, Sen overcame Nishimoto, who is ranked 11th, in straight games with a score of 21-17, 21-14. The victory also gave Sen a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head matchups. The match lasted 44 minutes, showcasing Sen’s prowess and determination on the court.

Sen’s previous best performance this season was a third-place finish at the Thailand Open, but now he has the opportunity to claim the Canada Open title. He will face the winner of the second semifinal between Kodai Naraoka and Li Shi Feng in the final, which will take place on Sunday night.

On the other hand, P.V. Sindhu, the veteran Indian shuttler, faced disappointment in her women’s singles semifinal match against world number one Akane Yamaguchi. Sindhu, currently ranked 15th, lost in straight games with a score of 14-21, 15-21. This marked Sindhu’s second consecutive defeat against Yamaguchi, following her loss in the opening round of the Singapore Open.

Sindhu, who has been struggling with poor performances on the world tour, has not won any titles since her return from an injury layoff in January. Her last victory was at the Commonwealth Games in August 2022 before sustaining an ankle injury. She had a runner-up finish at the Marid Spain Masters and a third-place finish at the Malaysia Masters.