Sen stuns world no 3 Antonsen to enter All England quarterfinals

Birmingham: World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen stunned world no 3 Anton Antonsen in straight games to progress to the men’s singles quarterfinals of the All England Championships here on Thursday.

The 20-year-old from Almora, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January and then reached the finals of German Open last week, notched up an upset 21-16 21-18 win over third seed Antonsen, a two-time medallist at world championships in 2019 Basel and 2021 Huelva.

It was their first meeting on the international stage.

Sen will face either Hong Kong’s eighth seed Ng Ka Long Angus or China’s Lu Guang Zu next.

Earlier, India ace Saina Nehwal produced a gallant fight before going down to second seed Japanese Akane Yamaguchi in a thrilling three-game match in the second round.

Former world no 1 Saina, the London Olympics bronze medallist, lost 14-21 21-17 17-21 world no 2 Yamaguchi in a 50-minute women’s singles clash.

It was a much-improved performance from the Indian, who had lost in straight games to Thailand’s Ratchanok Inthanon at German Open last week.