World Championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen kept India’s hopes alive at the Australian Open Super 500 in Sydney by defeating Ayush Shetty in straight games to reach the men’s singles semifinals.

Lakshya, seeded seventh, overcame the 20-year-old Shetty 23-21, 21-11 in a 53-minute contest, setting up a last-four clash against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen.

To begin with, Lakshya had a tough time in the opening game, trailing 6-9 before fighting back to take an 11-10 lead at the break. The Almora shuttler held a slender 19-17 advantage, but Ayush earned the first game point. However, he failed to convert, allowing Lakshya to close out the opener after tense exchanges.

Furthermore, the second game turned one-sided as Lakshya raced to a 6-1 lead, which quickly extended to 15-7. Ayush’s

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