Hong Kong Open badminton: Lakshya Sen shows why he is still India’s top singles player, with clinical use of the net against Ayush Shetty
Lakshya Sen now has a good chance to make his first Super 500 final of the season if he can get past Chou Tien Chen, whom he had beaten at Paris Olympics but trails 4-2 in the Head-to-Head.
Lakshya Sen in action during his quartefinals win against Ayush Shetty at the Li-Ning Hong Open 2025. (Credit: Badminton Photo)
Ayush Shetty tried a lot of things, but he just couldn’t dislodge Lakshya Sen from his front court recon-tower that his senior had morphed into. In their first-ever international meeting at the Hong Kong Open Super 500, Ayush struggled to get the shuttle past what is Sen’s stomping personal turf – at the net. And he really couldn’t make his training buddy move around the court, losing 16-21, 21-17, 13-21 in the quarterfinals.
Sen, a semifinalist from the Paris Olympics and World No 20, calmly showed why he remains India’s top player, having defeated both HS Prannoy and Ayush this week.
You’ve Read Your Free Stories For Now
Sign up and keep reading more stories that matter to you.
Sen now has a good chance to make his first Super 500 final of the season (Kidambi Srikanth made India’s first of 2025 at Malaysia Masters), if he can get past Chou Tien Chen, whom he had beaten at Paris Olympics but trails 4-2 in the Head-to-Head.
It would be tempting to find positives for Ayush, who will face games and opponents similarly fortified and clear, as Sen’s once they get past the fear of his big game. Sen can be vulnerable against Axelsen, Lee Zii Jia & Co, but it must never be forgotten that he has the clever means to counter their aggression, having managed it at the Olympics no less. What those two did in Paris, but Ayush couldn’t, was to trigger chaos and doubt in Sen’s defense by making him scurry around the court, and then end with a big one.
Sen absolutely commanded the net area, and pushed gears at the halfway mark in Set 1 and Set 3, leaving Ayush breathless, though not technically tired. The rectangular pocket in front of the net is where Sen tests his confidence, and he was totally bossing it, choosing the correct options – dribble, tumbles, pushes or lifts – while anticipating what Ayush would next throw at him.
His usual hurrying and hustling was not even called into action as Ayush attempted to strike cheeky repartee at the net, but could not get coherence into his point construction. Sen caught the shuttle high and early, moved faster, and took off around the 10-point mark from a side that didn’t pose much windy troubles.
Lakshya Sen in action during his quartefinals win against Ayush Shetty at the Li-Ning Hong Open 2025. (Credit: Badminton Photo)
Earlier, he had also gone after Ayush’s obvious weakness of smashes across the body, on the backhand, with the twisting and turning making the towering figure labour over the next return.
Ayush showed plenty of defiance from 11-15 down in the second, to take advantage of those lapses that are so routine with Sen. But even if the 20-year-old took the second set, it would be a stretch to say he did everything he ought to have in the first or third to disturb Sen’s plans. The senior has a formidable read on the game, is one of the smartest too, probably had a point to prove, a top rank to protect, and can be absolutely explosive in that net zone.
Story continues below this ad
For long periods of 66 minutes, Sen didn’t have to leave his sentry tower and simply guarded the overheads with arching limbs from one spot. Ayush did well to push a decider. But once there, he faded out against a slightly more accomplished opponent, who clearly knew his game pat from all those training sessions.
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.
Professional Profile
Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.
Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.
Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)
Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:
Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.
PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.
The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.
Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.
Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.
Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)
The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)
Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)
Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)
Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)
Other Sports Interests
Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.
You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
