India's Challenging Journey at Macau Open 2025 Ends in Semi-Finals

India's aspirations at the Macau Open 2025 were cut short on Saturday as both Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli faced defeats in their semi-final matches. The matches were held at the Macao East Asian Games Dome, marking the end of India's representation in the BWF Super 300 tournament, as reported by Olympics.com. This follows the exit of men's doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who exited in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya Sen, who entered the tournament as the second seed in Macau and is ranked 17th globally, was overpowered by Indonesia's Alwi Farhan in straight games. Farhan, a former junior world champion currently ranked 25th, defeated Sen 21-16, 21-9 in a swift 39-minute match. Sen started with an early lead but was quickly overtaken by Farhan, who maintained control throughout the match. Despite a promising start, Sen couldn't keep pace with Farhan's dominating play. This marks Sen's best performance on the BWF Tour this year, having previously reached the quarter-finals at the All England Open.

On the other hand, Tharun Mannepalli's remarkable journey in Macau concluded after his defeat to Malaysia's Justin Hoh. Known for eliminating top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu in the Round of 16, and China's reigning junior world champion Hu Zhe'an in the quarter-finals, Mannepalli initially led against Hoh, securing the first game 21-19. However, Hoh, ranked 45th globally, made a significant comeback, winning the next two games 21-16, 21-16 to clinch victory in a one-hour and 21-minute match. Indian shuttlers now prepare for the Hong Kong Open, starting on September 9, as part of the 2025 BWF World Tour.

(With inputs from agencies.)