Kunlavut Vitidsarn’s unyielding defense proved to be Lakshya Sen’s undoing on Friday as India’s top men’s singles player crashed out of the Thailand Open Super 500. Playing against the world number two, Lakshya fought hard but ultimately fell short and lost in straight games.
Known for his remarkable defensive skills and fighting spirit, Vitidsarn showed his class in his home tournament when he defeated Lakshya 21-19, 21-16 in 53 minutes on 15 May. Lakshya’s loss marked the end of India’s challenge in the singles competition as PV Sindhu crashed out earlier in the day against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.
Thailand Open: Quarterfinal highlights
On Friday, Lakshya showed flashes of brilliance but was unable to maintain his best against Vitidsarn. The Indian conceded a massive 2-11 lead in the opening game, putting him at a serious disadvantage. However, as Lakshya often does, he raised his level, playing deceptive shots at the net and unleashing unpredictable smashes to reduce the deficit to just a point.
Vitidsarn, shaken by Lakshya’s speed and skill at the net, eventually surrendered his nine-point advantage. What should have been a straightforward affair stretched to 25 minutes before the Thai man somehow held his nerve to overcome Lakshya 21-19.
The second leg of the quarter-final proved to be much more straightforward. A desperate Lakshya went for points in the match and ended up making too many mistakes. Playing on the slower side of the court, several of his moves were long, while he repeatedly found the net from attacking positions in the second half of the game.
Vitidsarn’s exceptional defense ensured the Thais kept the rally alive by getting several offensive shots, which frustrated the Indian shuttler throughout the contest.
In the end, Lakshya lost the second match 16-21 and crashed out of the tournament.
SATWIK-CHIRAG RACE TO THE SEMI-FINALS
Earlier in the day, India’s top-seeded men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the semi-finals of the Thailand Open after defeating Japan’s Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami 21-12, 21-13 in 41 minutes at the Nimibutr Stadium in Patumwan on Friday.
The defending Asian Games champions dominated from the start, leading 10-0 in the opening game. Although the Japanese pair fought back in the second game to level the scores at 6-6, the Indians proved too strong. Satwik and Chirag will face third seeds Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin of Malaysia for a place in the final.
In the women’s singles, PV Sindhu dominated the opening game 21-19 against Akane Yamaguchi but could not sustain the momentum and the Japanese star came back to win the next two games 21-18, 21-15 in a hard-fought match that lasted one hour and 10 minutes.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
15 May 2026 21:07 IST
