The Indian shuttler, who finished runner-up here two years ago, lost the first game against Jonatan Christie but turned the table on his Indonesian opponent to win the second game and force a third at the Utilita Arena. (More Badminton News)
But it proved a false dawn as his higher-ranked opponent produced a skilled, all-court performance to subdue 20-year-old India's all-out game.
It will be an all-Indonesian final. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, the fifth seed, fought back to beat surprise semi-finalists Christo Popov of France in three games (19-21, 21-5, 21-11) earlier on the penultimate day of the competition.
As in his previous games at the 114th edition of the All England Open, Lakshya Sen started slowly against Jonatan Christie, allowing the world number nine to reel off successive points. From 4-4, the Indian shuttler trailed 9-15, and he could add only three more points.
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Sen, who had defeated Anders Antonsen of Denmark and Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in draining three-game affairs in the previous two rounds, changed gears in the second game, and closed it in quick time, wrapping up 21-10. After leading 4-3, the world number 18 from Almora won six successive points, which was followed by another sequence of seven on the trot.
But the Indian shuttler faltered in the decider despite a strong start, 3-0. At 4-3, it was anybody's game and both kept a tight game. It was 8-8 just before the break, but it soon became 15-11 in favour of the Indonesian who mixed his killer drops with powerful smashes.
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Having conceded eight match points, 12-20, Lakshya Sen was fighting a losing battle against a more seasoned opponent. A brief fightback resulted in three more points.
