India’s challenge at the Macau Open came to an end on Saturday, August 2 as Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli suffered semifinal defeats in their respective men’s singles matches.
Lakshya, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, struggled to match the pace and precision of Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, and went down 16-21, 9-21 in straight games. The match came to an end in just 39 minutes as Lakshya struggles to find rhythm this season.
In the other semi-final, Mannepalli’s dream run at the tournament came to an end in a thrilling three-game contest that saw the Indian fail to capitalise on a strong start and lose the match 21-19, 16-21, 16-21 in a match that lasted one hour and 21 minutes. The 21-year-old had a bad day at the office as the match was marked by fluctuating momentum and a flurry of unforced errors.
Lakshya’s rough run in 2025 continues
The current season hasn’t gone according to plan for Lakshya as he has faced seven first-round exits and two second-round eliminations. However, the Indian ace looked to be in some form during the Macau Open as he looked to gain momentum heading into the World Championships.
But it was Farhan who made all the right decisions on the day as he recovered from a 0-3 start to lead 11-7 at the break in the first game. While Lakshya did produce some impressive shots, it was the Indonesian ace who got himself into the driver’s seat and had five game points to his name. He then forced Lakshya into an error to secure game one.
The second game followed a similar pattern as Farhan raced into an 11-5 lead at the break. Lakshya just couldn’t match the relentless pressure from his opponent and conceded 12 game points. Farhan failed to convert one, but then he got the job done in the end.
Mannepalli falters at crucial moments
Mannepalli started well as he raced to an 11-6 lead in the first game. The Indian ace had a 17-12 cushion before Justin clawed his way back into the contest to make it 18-all. After wasting one game point, Mannepalli ensured that he took the game and claim the early advantage in the contest.
In the second game, Mannepalli’s errors helped Justin claim the lead. However, the Indian was able to level things up at 13-13, but a run of mistakes helped Justin reclaim the lead and eventually take the game.
Mannepalli took the lead in the decider, but once again mistakes came back to haunt him and Justin took the lead. While the Indian ace produced a brief comeback, Justin saw off the contest to make it to the final.
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