Muelheim An Der Ruhr (Germany), March 13: World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen’s giant-killing run ended with a straight-game loss to Thailand’s rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the summit clash of German Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January, lost 18-21 15-21 in 57 minutes to the three-time world junior champion Vitidsarn in the final match.
.In a battle of equals, Sen and Vitidsarn matched each other in speed in the rallies to move 4-4 before the Thai rode on his variations and deception to grab a comfortabe 11-6 lead at the break.
Sen made it 15-16 but Vitidsarn managed to grab two game points with a overhead cross-court drop. Sen needed medical attention for a blister on his foot even as the Thai came up with a cross court smash to pocket the opening game.
The gruelling semifinal against Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen seemed to have taken a toll on Sen as Vitidsarn jumped to a 7-3 lead in the second game before moving to a 11-5 advantage after the change of sides.
Vitidsarn moved to 19-15 and then took five match points before sealing the second game and the match in the first chance. (PTI)
