BWF World Championships: Kidambi Srikanth defeated Lakshya Sen to reach the final.© AFP
Highlights of the 2021 BWF World Championships Semi-Finals: Kidambi Srikanth defeated Lakshya Sen 17-21, 21-14, 21-17 in an all-Indian semi-final to reach the final of the ongoing 2021 BWF World Championships in Spain’s Huelva on Saturday. In a thrilling clash, Sen won the opening game 21-17 before Srikanth leveled it by winning the second game 21-14. Srikanth then pulled ahead in the final stretch of the deciding match to win the match and become the first Indian man to reach the final of the BWF World Championships. Sen is the fourth Indian overall to win a medal on the showpiece. Lakshya Sen had previously defeated China’s Zhao Jun Peng 21-15, 15-21, 22-20 in a hard-fought quarter-final, while Kidambi Srikanth slid past Mark Caljouw to beat the Dutchman 21-8, 21-7 in 26 minutes in the last eight. India is assured of at least a silver and a bronze medal regardless of today’s result.
2021 BWF World Championships Semi-Final: Lakshya Sen vs Kidambi Srikanth, Highlights from Spain Huelva
23:49 (IST)
Thank you for staying with us
That’s it for us today. Come back to the final on Sunday as Kidambi Srikanth will compete for the gold medal.
23:48 (IST)
SRIKATH WINS!
Srikanth wins the last match 21-17 to win the match 17-21, 21-14, 21-17.
23:45 (IST)
Srikanth 19-16 ahead
Srikanth 19-16 lead in the decider!
23:43 (IST)
Srikanth 17-16 ahead
Srikanth leads 17-16 in the decider.
23:40 (IST)
15-15
It’s 15-all in the decider!
23:38 (IST)
Srikanth reaches level
Srikanth brings it to 13-13.
23:35 (IST)
Sen maintains lead
Sen takes a 13-10 lead.
23:31 (IST)
Sen takes the lead
Sen takes a crucial 11-8 lead in the deciding game.
23:26 (IST)
Srikanth 7-6 lead
Srikanth takes a 7-6 lead in the final game.
23:24 (IST)
Sen fights back
Sen fights back to take a 5-4 lead.
23:24 (IST)
Srikanth forward
Srikanth takes a 4-2 lead in the decisive game.
23:22 (IST)
Sen is having a bit of a hard time
Sen seems to be having a little trouble here. A 50-shot rally has further increased his exhaustion.
23:19 (IST)
Srikanth wins second game!
IT’S ALL LEVEL! Srikanth dominates the final stretch of the second game to win it 21-14. Srikanth-Sen semi-final in Huelva goes far
23:14 (IST)
Sen reduces deficiency
Sen wins the next two points. Srikanth is still leading 16-14.
23:13 (IST)
Srikanth seems to reach level
Srikanth has a 16-12 lead in the second game. Can he win to reach the level in the match?
23:07 (IST)
Srikanth leads in 2nd game
Srikanth fights back, taking an 11-9 lead in the second game.
23:04 (IST)
Srikanth eyes fight back
Sen races to an 8-4 lead, but Srikanth wins the next two points to close the gap.
23:02 (IST)
Early lead for Sen in second game
Sen takes a 5-3 lead in the second game.
22:59 (IST)
Lakshya Sen wins the opening match
Benefit Lakshya Sen! The youngster takes the opening game with 21-17.
22:53 (IST)
Back level!
It’s back level again! 16-16!
22:50 (IST)
Sen forward
A very exciting match so far in Huelva. Sen has a slim 13-10 lead
22:46 (IST)
seesaw fight
Sen briefly took an 8-7 lead but Srikanth equalized it to 8-8!
22:43 (IST)
Sen draws level again
And Sen draws level 6-6! This has been very close so far.
22:42 (IST)
Early lead for Srikanth
Srikanth has raced to an early lead. He leads Sen 6-4.
22:40 (IST)
Sen pulls level
Lakshya Sen quickly equalizes at 2-2
22:39 (IST)
Srikanth draws first blood
It is Srikanth who wins the first point of the match.
22:37 (IST)
Both players ready for battle
The match is about to start and both players seem ready for the battle ahead.
22:27 (IST)
Padukone, Praneeth Previous Medalists
Prakash Padukone (2019) and B Sai Praneeth (2019) are the only Indian men to have won medals in this competition in the past.
22:01 (IST)
Not for long
The men’s doubles semifinal preceding the Srikant-Sen match is underway. It shouldn’t be long from here.
21:35 (IST)
First Indian Male Finalist
The winner of this competition will be the first Indian man to reach a final at the BWF World Championships.
21:20 (IST)
Waiting time
Both Srikanth and Sen will have to wait a little longer. A women’s doubles semifinal is underway, after which a men’s doubles match will be played in the same lane. Srikanth and Sen will then go to court.
21:11 (IST)
Two medals secured for India
Whatever happens in today’s game, India will take home two medals from the BWF World Championships. The winner of this match advances to the gold medal match, while the one who loses it wins the bronze medal.
21:07 (IST)
Welcome to our live coverage
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the BWF World Championship Semifinals match between Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth.
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