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The ever-improving young Indian shuttler, Lakshya Sen is all set to break into the top 100 for the first time in his career when the new world rankings will be released on December 7, 2017. This will be yet another feather in the cap of the steadily-rising 16-year-old, who is already touted to be the next big star from the country.
The achievement comes after Sen finished as the runner-up at the Tata Open India International Challenge in Mumbai last Sunday. The result awarded him 3400 points that will take his current points tally of 15710 to 17590, following deduction of his last year’s points.
With that, he is expected to be placed between 90 and 95 in the new world rankings, which will be a jump of more than 10 places from his current ranking of 108th. Sen’s previous best has been 104th that he climbed to in October.
Sen squandered a one-game lead in the final
The highly talented Sen displayed a scintillating attacking game and tremendous net play to grab the opener, 21-15 against the 161st ranked Sitthikom Thammasin of Thailand. However, the latter, who upset the top seeded Sourabh Verma in the second round, came storming back to take the 15-21, 21-14, 21-19 win in a gripping contest that lasted 1 hour 20 minutes.
The former junior World No. 1 Indian shuttler was looking to win his maiden title at the International Challenge level.
Sen ends first season in the senior circuit with two titles
The protégée of Bangalore’s Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy thus finished an impressive debut season in the senior circuit with two titles from the eight that he participated in. His first triumph was at the Bulgarian Open in August where he accounted for the top two seeds.
In November, he successfully defended his title at the India International Series in Hyderabad. His nine-match winning streak was snapped in the final of the Tata Open when he went down to his Thai opponent.
Besides these, he also left a mark at the 82nd Senior National Badminton Championships where he clinched the bronze medal.
Also read: Tata Open: Ruthvika Shivani Gadde wins title, Lakshya Sen goes down fighting
