Badminton, Australian Open Super 500: Mithun Manjunath stuns world No 7; Lakshya Sen retires

India’s Mithun Manjunath, on Wednesday, scored a shock 21-19, 21-19 straight-games win over former world champion Loh Kean Yew in the men’s singles opening round at the ongoing 2023 Australia Open Super 500 in Sydney on Wednesday.

The Indian, ranked 50th in the world, trailed 8-11 at the first mid-game break. He then stitched together four consecutive points to take a 12-11 lead post the interval.

Though the world No 7 hit back to equalise at 18-18 before taking a 19-18 lead, Manjunath bounced back to win three points in a row and wrapped up the first game 21-19.

The 25-year-old from Karnataka carried forward this momentum to the second game as well, racing to an 11-6 lead. He further extended his lead to nine points at 18-9, completely outplaying the Singapore shuttler.

Loh Kean Yew, however, fought back with an array of points with the Indian seemingly cracking under pressure, but a wide shot at a crucial juncture brought a halt to his run as Manjunath took home the second game 21-19 to record a famous win.

#AustraliaOpenSuper500????

????BIG RESULT!

Mithun Manjunath beats World number 7 Loh Kean Yew 21-19, 21-19 in straight games.https://t.co/edweCPS2h0 pic.twitter.com/ITypdutCpp— The Field (@thefield_in) August 2, 2023

Earlier on Wednesday, Aakarshi Kashyap registered her first win since March to advance to the...

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