All England Badminton Semi-Finals highlights: Lakshya Sen ousted by Jonatan Christie after hard-fought battle

Looked like it was a fine fightback by Tai Tzu Ying as she made it 10-11 but Marin has zoomed ahead 18-11. TTY is not moving well, Marin is hurting her more with the drops

The Spaniard was down 3-5 in the second game. Then she rattled off eight straight points and now she leads 11-5 at the  mid-game interval. 

What a run! 

Win or lose, Carolina Marin is the only player I can think of who gets under the skin of the otherwise unflappable Tai Tzu Ying. And TTY, for sure, isn't the only one either on the tour. Marin has her ways, and more often than not, it works for her. She is now into the lead in the 2nd game as well.

Some moments of magic from Tai Tzu Ying thrown in there, but Carolina Marin opened up an early lead and seals the opening game 21-13 as the TPE shuttler made a series of errors on length. Tzu Ying has mentioned she has not been feeling well this week, this is however a more gritty version of Dr TTY we see these days, so this could still go the distance.

20 minutes into the semi-final, Olympic champion Carolina Marin has placed one foot into the women's singles final with a first game win. She claims the first installment 21-13 against the wily Tai Tzu Ying.  

World No 1 An Se Young lost a heroic match against Akane Yamaguchi, despite playing most of the match with a banged up knee and a fatigued body. She fell to the floor multiple times during the game and called for medical attention as well. But she still won the secodn game and pushed the contest into a decider.

WATCH the highlights: 

After Chapter 23 of Akane Yamaguchi vs An Se Young earlier, it is time for Chapter 24 of Tai Tzu Ying vs Carolina Marin.

What a cracker this promises to be. Dr TTY leads 12-11. 

And an opportune time to read this from India Open earlier this year, where she showed again she is getting back to her best in her quest for elusive Olympic gold. 

READ MORE

Question: A lot of positives, no? After the last two weeks.

Lakshya Sen: Yes, I think now I'll definitely sit back, and discuss all this with my coaches and try to analyze the weeks much better because as of now I was just focusing on the next match after every game. It's now it's time to reflect back watch those matches again. Take good things and keep learning from the mistakes that happen.

(VIA BWF Mixed Zone)

Question: You must be proud of the way you fought even today, after the first game. 

Lakshya Sen: I think the way I played the second game, really happy. But, yeah, I think, again disappointed that I couldn't do well. I was hoping for better results, the way I played the second, I could have continued a bit more patiently (in the third). He started playing well in the third as well. The rallies were long. It was a patient game. A few errors here and there at crucial times (costly).

(VIA BWF Mixed Zone)

Question: Obviously you spent two weeks, a lot of physical matches, right?  Did that kind of bring your level down a little bit, maybe? 

Lakshya Sen: I would say, yeah. I think all the matches that I've played were really long and I could feel it in the recovery, in the next day's match preparation. But all of them were required to win on that particular day.

Some of the matches, I think I started really slow in the first set, even having a good lead and then not being able to convert those first-setters that then went on to three games. I won some of those but I think this is one thing that I want to improve: close matches in two games. So that I'm a bit more fresher. 

(VIA BWF Mixed Zone)

Question: What positives can you take from this run back to a super 1000 semifinal? 

Lakshya Sen: Yeah, I think as of now I'm pretty disappointed with the results. But I think overall, the way I played the last two weeks surely have the level to be there and when in the big tournaments. 

(VIA BWF Mixed Zone)

Question: How much do you appreciate the support you have been receiving?

Lakshya Sen: Yeah, I think I've been through a tough patch before this. I think coming back and doing better and better. Yeah, I think I'll go back and read most of the comments because I know there have been a lot of support, a lot of messages on social media accounts and even my personal messages. I think yeah, I'm really thankful to  all the supporters that are there, but yeah, I think today I couldn't do my best. 

But yeah, I think the way they've supported me, that really motivates me to do even more. 

(VIA BWF Mixed Zone)

After Lakshya Sen's defeat, our resident soothsayer and wordplay enthusiast Shivani Naik, who has watched week upon week of badminton for decades now, offers up this prediction (which she calls '9/10 funny') : 'Grimemaster Jojo can win All E. Lakshya Sen will win Olympics.'

Asian Games 2018 rematch that will be in finals. Ginting vs Christie.

The Indonesian is a tough cookie to break with his calm control. But Sen can run into these granite groovers - Christie, Kunlavut and Shi Yu Qi often, and will have to hit the drawing board to find ways to unravel them. His pace injections add to errors tally, so he ll need to find a balance.

The Indian loses 12-21, 21-10, 15-21 as Jonatan Christie sets up a clash against fellow Indonesian Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the men's singles final! 

As Lakshya stares down the barrel, our resident optimist Vinayakk Mohanarangan pulls out an instance from history to inform us: "Christie once blew a World Championships medal from 20-15 up, so he knows not to celebrate too early. Calms himself down at 20-12 up."

Can we hope that Lakshya mounts a comeback from here?? 

We saw a comeback from 2-8 in the decider against Antonsen, but 12-18 makes it significantly harder.

3 points in the final set is a huge lead. Lakshya will want to go for all his shots. It leaves the door open to errors. Fine line between ingenuity and desperation

Shivani Naik writes: "That challenge was so so crucial. Difference between 16-11 and 15-12."

Lakshya won that challenge and is now just three points behind his Indonesian rival with a spot in the final hanging in the balance. 

Jojo doesn't wilt often, unless he's crowded with pace. This is gonna be a battle of wills

Well, this Lakshya Sen game has gotten so interesting that more members of The Indian Express sports team are now sending in inputs for this blog. 

Here's what Anil Dias writes: "Lakshya Sen is hesitant to go for consecutive smashes. So far in the final set he's tried it once and has been successful."

16 minutes into the deciding third game, Lakshya Sen is down 8-11. 

Jojo might lead at 11, but never discount the Sen fifth gear, saved for the very last

THAT rally went on forever. 63 shots. 6-6. Ended with a delish drop.

The longest rally of the match so far. 60-plus shots and at points it felt like Kunlavut vs Kodai! Almost down to walking pace but JoJo wins it with a delicious slow drop.

A 63-shot rally ends with Christie clawing back level in the third game at 6-6. This looks like it is going to be tighter than the previous two games.

A comfortable 2nd game from the Indian, takes it 21-10 and we go into the decider once again. 'He will up his pace, be ready for it,' coach Vimal says. 'Make sure you are warmed up whenever there is a break,' reminds coach Padukone. L

Lakshya's defence to the fore early in the decider. What a rally for 2-0. He even breaks into a little celebration there.

Sen is always formidable in deciders. His pace is going to prove almighty trouble for Jojo. Will the Indonesian let him though? That rally for 2-0  was brill indication - Sen's furious attack can outlast Jojo's control. His smashing errors not-so-cool

Christie has found his rhythm now. Might not matter much for this second game, but a little run of points for JoJo here could actually be crucial. Lakshya said last night how the rhythm he found in game 2 despite losing helped against Lee Zii Jia in Game 3.

Behind the back defense from Sen! It's a tricky play or let go. Puts pressure on next return. But at 18-7 Sen can afford some flashy defense.

Quick-Sen turnaround. It's quite gobsmacking how he nicks momentum his way. Mostly it is getting steely and sturdy at the net and puppeteering from mid court. 15-4

A different Lakshya Sen here! He's raced from 4-3 to 17-4 in the second game!

To give you an instance of how good he is here in the second installment, there was a point when he lofted the shuttle in a confortable zone for Christie. The Indonesian rose and sent down a thunderous smash at Lakshya's body. The Indian just nonchalantly dispatched it back with a lazy flick of his wrist! 

Not very audible, the coaching inputs. But could hear Prakash Padukone tell Lakshya "play more downward", the Indian looking in a good zone now leading 11-3 at the interval. Should take this to a decider, barring a collapse.

What a comeback! 

Lakshya leads 11-3 in the second game after dropping the first one. He's looked like a different player in the second installment. Nine minutes of pure blissful badminton from the Indian after 19 mintues of horror previously. 

Nicely poised here. 

Second game: Lakshya Sen 11-3 Jonatan Christie

When pushed to defending on his backhand back corner,  the quick turn of the torso for the next shot is crucial. It's an area Jojo will continuously harp on for points

High clears, high lifts, seemingly holding-shots in a rally. But so, so important. Those and tosses seem to get used a lot against Sen who at 179 cms isn't short, but needs that leap to connect. The down shots the Indian defends easily comparatively. 
But Sen is a different being in Set 2, after dropping first. So, nothing definitive here.

Jonatan Christie is one game away from booking an All England final clash against Indonesian compatriot Anthony Sinisuka Ginting after clinching the first game 21-12 against India's Lakshya Sen. 

The Indonesian was leading 11-7 at the mid-game interval of the first game, but raced away to clinching the first game in imperious fashion. 

High clears, high lifts, seemingly holding-shots in a rally. But so, so important. Those and tosses seem to get used a lot against Sen who at 179 cms isn't short, but needs that leap to connect. The down shots the Indian defends easily comparatively. 

But Sen is a different being in Set 2, after dropping first. So, nothing definitive here.

Lakshya usually plays net shots that just clear the top of the tape, making it difficult for opponents to counter him. Today, the shuttle is going a few inches higher than he'd like, and it is giving Christie the chance to repeatedly punish him with kills.

One thing Jojo doesn't do is push pace early in a match. So Sen can settle into a rhythm and worry about placement more than pace. Either he can inject speed into rallies, or push Jojo back. But yes like Vinayakk said about Vimal saying: Cut. The. Errors.

'Shut out the silly errors' was the message from Vimal Kumar to Lakshya a couple of nights ago in the decider against Antonsen, looks like that message will have to come early today. The Indian with a fair few wild misses in the early exchanges.

At the mid-game interval of the first game, Lakshya is down by four points. His agression has made him commit a couple of rash errors such as hitting the bird wide. 

11 minutes into game 1, First game: Lakshya Sen 7-11 Jonatan Christie

A fascinating subplot here to keep an eye on is if at all India and Indonesia meet at some point at the Thomas Cup Finals, this could well be the MS2 tie. (Last year in the final, it was Lakshya vs Ginting and Srikanth vs Christie).

There, on 6-6. Jojo pins Sen to back corner, but wasn't very sharp to finish at the net

A stellar rally of 53 shots, the longest of the contest so far, ends with Lakshya drawing level at 6-6. But then, he gets carried away by rushing to the net and pushing his shot outside while his opponent was completely out of position to return. 

First game: Lakshya Sen 6-7 Jonatan Christie

A dash of blue on Jojo's jersey and Sen's shoes, but otherwise it's 15 shades of black, white, grey out there in the spotlight with their choice of gear. No clear early supremacy on court. But looks like a battle at the net

Now onto Sen vs Jojo Christie. 

The former Asian Games champ from Indonesia might rank as the most non-violent of aggressors in the game. He's ranked No 9 after an indifferent last few months, but at 26, he's hitting his prime. Sen will always back himself against that game, but his defensive persistence will get tested here

The Indian takes a 3-1 lead in the first game with the highlight being his nonchalant backhand crosscourt placement which won him the second point. Christie gifted him the other two points with errors.

First game: Lakshya Sen 3-1 Jonatan Christie

Time then for the match we have been waiting for. Quite fascinating that Lakshya Sen has gone the furthest at All England in the past, among all four semi-finalists. First SF for both Indonesians, first ever Frenchman in Christo Popov to go this far. Ginting has booked his place in the final, can Lakshya prevent an all-Indonesian affair and make it to his 2nd final?

ASY's famed footwork and court movement given its sternest test. It's crazy she still dragged Yamaguchi into decider.

An Se Young still on her haunches on the sidelines, clearly in pain. Yamaguchi in finals. Consistency takes a lot out of shuttlers on the circuit. It will be interesting to see how Korea balance her court-time given they set a big store on Uber Cups, while she chases Olympics few months later. 

Paris Olympics our hunch is, is gonna be decided by Who's Fittest of Them All. 

Yamaguchi as usual has struck form early season.

A match so brutal that even Akane Yamaguchi – the most stoic of them all – manages to break into a big smile at the end as she is greeted by her coaches. A brutal battle, An Se Young's physical troubles in the end proving decisive. One can only hope the Korean takes better care of her workload in the long run.

World No 4 Akane Yamaguchi defeats World No 1 An Se Young 21-10, 19-21, 21-

This is Yamaguchi's first win over An Se Young in a year! After four consecutive defeats, she manages a win. 

An hour and 20 minutes is what it takes the Japanese shuttler to prevail over the hurting and exhausted An Se Young. 

An Se Young's right knee is banged up,heavily bandaged as has been the case for a while. So it looks like the left leg is taking more load as the commentator points out. A few points back she was actually holding her left hamstring mid-rally. And yet she's continuing to go at it.

An Se young is hurting, and she is down 12-17, but she's making her opponent run and throw herself around trying to return shots.

She's somehow (HOW?!?!?!) still clinging on to the coattails of her opponent. 

Second game: Akane Yamaguchi 17-13 An Se Young

The levels of defending these two are capable of! That rally at 11-9 in the decider was just sensational from both, but especially from Akane.

At one point, An Se Young was leading 9-8 in the decider. But in the blink of an eye, Yamaguchi surges ahead to an 11-9 lead. 

Yamaguchi has on foot in the final. 

Despite gasping for breath after nearly every long rally, An Se Young has somehow managed to take this into a decider. Akane Yamaguchi would still fancy her chances here, she looks much fresher still and the Korean will need something special to outlast Akane physically.

That also means, the wait continues for Lakshya and Jonatan Christie.