Saarbrücken (Germany): Lakshya Sen prevailed over Kiran George 21-13 14-21 21-9 in an exciting all-Indian semifinal of the SaarLorLux Open badminton here Saturday.
Sen, seeded eighth in the tournament, needed 37 minutes to win his men’s singles last-four clash against compatriot George and enter the final.
George, ranked 156 in the world, came into the match without dropping a set and looked confident in the second game after losing the opener.
However, his fancied opponent was in his element in the third game and sailed into the final. World No. 51 Sen thus continued to impress on the senior circuit.
The 18-year-old is looking to clinch back-to-back Super 100 titles after his Dutch Open win earlier in October. If he goes all the way, it will be a hat-trick of titles as his previous two tournaments (Dutch Open Super 100 and Belgian International Challenge) saw him emerge victorious as well.
The semifinal here was the fifth meeting between George and Sen in the international arena, with the latter winning all five.
Both had won their respective quarterfinal matches in straight games.
PTI