/sportzpoint/media/agency_attachments/5J7QNb4CjhIemgV0IYQL.png)
Follow UsLakshya Sen, a bronze medalist at the World Championships, and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, a women's doubles duo, made history by reaching the semi-finals of the All England Open 2022 Badminton Championships in their respective categories.
In the quarter-finals, Sen, ranked No. 11, faced China's Lu Guang Zu, who is ranked No. 27 in the world. He was given a walkover, though, because his opponent backed out at the last minute. With this, Lakshya became only the third Indian men's player to enter the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament. Also, the only singles players to reach the tournament's semi-finals in the open era were Prakash Padukone in 1980, 1981, and Pullela Gopichand in 2001.
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/5964a1e379c0ee5da47ade911fb42d0c016af22ebc8042c6e478a4c52ccd6fc5.jpeg)
The 20-year-old from Almora had a great start to 2022 by winning the India Open. He also progressed to the final of the German Open last week. Nonetheless, he will now lock horns with World No.7 Lee Zii Jia in the collision of the last four of the All England Open 2022:
Read more: Badminton World Rankings: Lakshya Sen moves up to 11, Srikanth at 12
The Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand scores an upset win
Meanwhile, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, the world No. 46 women's doubles pair from India, advanced to the semi-finals. They defeated Lee Sohee and Shin Seung-chan of South Korea, who were ranked No. 2 in the world 14-21, 22-20, 21-15.
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/2d59cdb8be36cc2be850e86c6ace2db454ba599b23fdd8510ce2897b6c2fdd12.jpg)
Both sides had a good start to the match, and the opening game ended with a 13-13 tie. The South Korean duo, on the other hand, upped the ante and easily won the first game. The Indian youngsters saved two match points in the second set to force the game into a decider. Then, Treesa and Gayatri scored five straight points after the third game was knotted at eight apiece to win the match in 67 minutes.
Read more: Badminton World Rankings
Furthermore, With their sensational win, Treesa-Gayatri made history by being the first Indian women's pair to reach the semi-final of the All England Open 2022.