Lakshya Sen storms into All England semi-final after beating former ...

All England Open 2024: Young Lakshya Sen held his nerves in a thriller to beat former champion Lee Zii Jia and progress to the semi-final of the prestigious Super 1000 tournament for the second time in his career.

Lakshya Sen beat former champion Lee Zii Jia to reach All England Open 2024 semi-finals (PTI Photo)

World Championships medalist Lakshya Sen brought out his best when needed as he survived a thriller in the All England Open quarter-finals against former champion Lee Zii Jia. Lakshya defeated the 10th-ranked Malaysian 20-22, 21-16, 21-19 in a sensational come-from-behind victory in a match that spanned an hour and 10 minutes at the United Arena in Birmingham on Friday.

Lakshya Sen reached the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament in Birmingham for the second time in his career after his runner-up finish in 2022. It's the second successive semi-final on the tour for the World No. 18, who seems to be peaking at the right time to stay in contention for a place in the Paris Olympics later this year.

Lakshya Sen is the lone Indian left in the fray in the All England Open after a shocking second-round exit for World No. 1 doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu went down in straight games against top seed An Se Young in the women's singles second round on Thursday.

Lakshya, watched on by his mentor Prakash Padukone, put on a sensational show against Lee to keep India's hopes of producing an All England Open champion for the first time in 23 years alive. Only Padukone (1981) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) have gone on to win All England crowns for the country in the past.

It was Lakshya Sen's 4th win in 5 meetings over the 2021 All England champion Lee, who seems to have been struggling to find consistency in the new season. Nonetheless, Lee produced a sensational fight against Lakshya, who had to use every ounce of energy and grit left in his tank to survive a stiff test on Friday.

Lakshya Sen kept his composure against an attacking Lee, trusting his defence and turning the heat on when needed in a battle that enthralled fans. Lakshya did not have the room to relax as he was leading 19-15 in the decider, only to see Lee fighting back and leveling things up. Lakshya's decsion-making skills came to the fore as the young Indian held his nerve to seal a thrilling final game and book a place in the semi-final.

After losing a tense opening game 20-22, Lakshya was put under relentless pressure by Lee, who went on a smashing spree. Lakshya's defensive solidity helped him fend off the attacking moves, but Lee never allowed the young Indian to run away with the game.

However, Lakshya produced a sensational change in momentum toward the end, winning 7 straight points from 14-16 to force a decider.

The third and final game was once again a closely-fought affair. Lakshya was in control of the rallies more and his aggression came out in the third game. He looked set for a comfortable win when leading 19-15. However, Lee threw the kitchen sink at him, winning 4 straight points to make it 19-19. Lakshya prevailed in the thrilling finish and sunk to the court in delight before he went over to chat with Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar even as the two coaches were busy dissecting the youngster's game on Friday.

Lakshya Sen will face the winner of another quarter-final between Indonesia's Jonathan Christie and China's second-seeded Shi Yuqi in the semi-final on Saturday.