PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen Dominate, Storming into the Semifinals of the 2023 Canada Open Badminton Championship

New Delhi, 8 july, (VNI) Indian badminton champions PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen have successfully progressed to the semifinals of the Canada Open 2023 badminton championship. Sindhu, a highly decorated athlete with two Olympic medals, demonstrated her dominance by defeating Fang Jie with a commanding score of 21-13, 21-7 in the women's singles quarterfinals held late on Friday night. Meanwhile, Sen showcased his resilience in the men's singles quarterfinal match against German qualifier Julien Carraggi, emerging victorious with a score of 21-8, 17-21, 21-10 after a spirited battle. Sindhu will now face Yamaguchi, the top-ranked Japanese player, in the semifinals, while Sen is set to take on the fourth-seeded Japanese player, Kenta Nishimoto. Sindhu, hailing from Hyderabad and aged 28, holds a favorable head-to-head record of 14-10 against Yamaguchi. However, Yamaguchi defeated Sindhu in their most recent encounter at the Singapore Open earlier this year. On the other hand, Sen and Nishimoto have faced each other once before during the 2022 Japan Open, resulting in a 1-1 head-to-head record. During Sindhu's quarterfinal match, she exhibited agility and alertness as she swiftly established a 5-1 lead. Her trademark smashes and drops troubled Fang Jie, who made several unforced errors. Sindhu entered the break with an 11-6 advantage. Sindhu showcased quick footwork and excellent court coverage, effortlessly returning every shot from her opponent. Despite Fang Jie reducing the deficit to 10-14 and later 12-16, Sindhu sealed the match with two powerful smashes. The second game commenced with a balanced contest as Fang Jie briefly held a slim 5-3 lead. However, Sindhu quickly turned the tide, reaching the interval with an 11-5 lead, capitalizing on her opponent's shots into the net. Sindhu maintained dominance in the rallies, dictating the match's flow. Fang Jie struggled to find accuracy, resulting in missed lines and eventually conceding the match to Sindhu due to two net errors.