Lakshya loses in German Open final

World Championships bronze medal list Lakshya Sen’s giant-killing run ended with a straight-game loss to Thailand’s rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the summit clash of German Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Germany on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Sen, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at India Open in January, lost 18-21 15-21 in 57 minutes to the three-time world junior champion Vitidsarn in the final match.

World number 12 Sen came into the match with a 3-3 head-to-head record against Vitidsarn, ranked 20th, having beaten the Thai in their last meeting at Hylo Open last year. In a battle of equals, Sen and Vitidsarn matched each other in speed in the rallies to move 4-4 before the Thai rode on his variations and deception to grab a comfortabe 11-6 lead at the break.