Macau: Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli advanced to the semifinals of the Macau Open Super 300 badminton tournament after hard-fought victories on Friday, while the top doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashed out in the quarterfinal stage.
Second seed Lakshya Sen, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, was made to work hard for his win over China’s Xuan Chen Zhu. The world number 19 edged past his opponent 21-14, 18-21, 21-14 in a tightly contested 63-minute quarterfinal.
Lakshya dominated the opening game with early control, surging ahead 9-4 and maintaining the lead to seal it 21-14. Chen, however, fought back in the second, overturning deficits at 5-10 and 14-17 to force a decider. In the final game, Lakshya regained momentum, racing to a 7-1 lead and staying ahead to secure the match.
The 22-year-old Indian will now face fifth seed Alwi Farhan of Indonesia in the semifinals.
Earlier in the day, Tharun Mannepalli, ranked 47th in the world, scripted a milestone victory in his budding career by reaching his first-ever semifinal at a BWF Super 300 event. The 23-year-old battled past China’s Hu Zhe (WR-87) in a thrilling 21-12, 13-21, 21-18 encounter lasting 75 minutes.
Mannepalli showcased exceptional agility and shot variation in the opening game, recovering from a 4-7 deficit to dominate the court. After dropping the second game, he regrouped in the decider with a quick 5-0 lead and maintained composure even as Hu narrowed the gap. A clinical body smash earned him match points, and he sealed the win with a perfectly placed push to Hu’s backhand corner.
He will now take on Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in the semifinal round.
This impressive run follows his earlier upset of top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, making Mannepalli one of the standout performers of the tournament.
India’s star doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced heartbreak after a narrow defeat to Malaysia’s Choong Hon Jian and Haikal Muhammad in their quarterfinal match. Despite a strong comeback in the second game, the Indians fell short in the decider, losing 14-21, 21-13, 20-22.
The loss ended India’s challenge in the men’s doubles category at the tournament.
Mannepalli, a product of Pullela Gopichand Academy, began his journey in Khammam, Telangana, picking up the sport at the age of eight. He moved to Hyderabad after Class X to pursue badminton seriously alongside academics. His steady rise includes a gold medal at the 37th National Games and a quarterfinal appearance at the German Open earlier this year.
His recent focus on fitness, agility, and movement seems to be paying off as he now stands one win away from a historic final appearance at a BWF Super 300 event.
With Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli flying the tricolour high in Macau, Indian badminton fans will hope for a strong finish this weekend.
