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Former junior rivals Lakshya Sen and Kunlavut Vitidsarn will clash in a blockbuster semifinal match at the Thailand Open 2023 in Bangkok on Saturday, June 3.
This is Sen's first semifinal of the season. The reigning Commonwealth Games champion had earlier made it to the last eight at the Indonesia Masters, but couldn't cross the quarterfinal hurdle.
He has now gone one round better at the ongoing Thailand Open with some solid performances this week. Following a 21-23, 21-15, 21-15 win over former World No. 9 Wang Tzu Wei, he upset the 2023 All England Open winner Li Shi Feng 21-17, 21-15.
Sen then staved off a challenge from Malaysian qualifier Leong Jun Hao to win 21-19, 21-11 en route to the last four.
Lakshya Sen vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn: Head-to-head and prediction
Sen and Vitidsarn's rivalry goes back a long way. Their first two meetings came at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships and the BWF World Junior Championships, both in 2018.
They have since met five more times, with Vitidsarn now holding a 4-3 edge over Sen in their overall head-to-head. Their most recent face-off was at the 2022 German Open, where the former emerged a 21-18, 21-15 winner.
Vitidsarn was a prolific junior, winning the BWF World Junior Championships three times. He also has a gold, silver and a bronze from the Asian Junior Championships.
The World No. 5 has made a wonderful transition into the senior circuit. He won the German Open last year and collected the silver medal at the BWF World Championships.
The Thai shuttler started 2023 in excellent fashion, beating Viktor Axelsen to win the India Open title in January. However, he has struggled a bit since then until finding his feet this week at his home tournament.
Vitidsarn has shown superb fighting spirit to get the better of Mithun Manjunath, Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo and Lu Guang Zu in three games each on his way to the semis.
Unless he is tired from his long matches, he could again prove to be a formidable opponent for the 23rd-ranked Indian.
Thailand Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn: Date and time
Lakshya Sen will square off against second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the men's singles semifinal match at the Thailand Open 2023 on Saturday in the eighth match of the day on Court 1.
Date: June 3, 2023.
Time: Approx 5:15 pm local time; 3:45 pm IST.
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand.
Thailand Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn: Where to watch & live streaming details
The match will be broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. It will also be shown live on the Jio Cinema app.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV as well.
Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
