Great mentor: India’s Lakshya Sen has been showing marked improvement under the guidance of Vimal Kumar. I
PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia will have a rare opportunity to secure his first title of the year at the Swiss Open but the in-form Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen is also harnouring similar hopes in Basel.
A splendid outing in the All England last week, where he reached the semi-finals in Birmingham, has already lifted Lakshya’s spirits.
Lakshya, 22, has been showing marked improvement after parting ways with his coach Anup Sridhar and rejoining his former mentor Vimal Kumar this year.
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion has paid tribute to Vimal and Indian legend Prakash Padukone, the owner of the Padukone Academy in Bangaluru, for guiding him during the All England.
“It’s been an emotionally charged week, filled with immense joy from competing at the highest level,” tweeted Lakshya.
“Having Prakash sir and Vimal sir by my side was truly an honour, making the experience even more special.
“Now it’s time to maintain this momentum and strive for more victories.”
Lakshya, who defeated Zii Jia in the quarter-finals at the All England, could again lock horns with the top seeded Malaysian at the same stage and the ambitions of both players would make it a spectacular occasion if it does materialise.
Lee Zii Jia.
This is because Zii Jia, the world No. 10, is also wants to capitalise on the positives at the All England and try to bounce back in style.
Both players should overcome their first-round opponents where Zii Jia plays Taiwan’s Su Li-yang for the first time in his opening round today while Lakshya plays Malaysian Leong Jun Hao.
Jun Hao has been looking forward to a good run in Europe but the in-form Lakhsya may just be too hot to handle.
Zii Jia also has a tough second-round clash where he will take on either Indian veteran K. Srikanth or Wang Tzu-wei of Taiwan.
Meanwhile, independent player Cheam June Wei’s campaign did not go the way he wanted after retiring in his qualifying match against Austrian Collins Filimon yesterday.
June Wei, who had suffered a back strain during the Orleans Masters in France last week where he reached the quarter-finals, had lost the first game 16-21 and conceded a walkover with the score tied at 3-3 in the second game.
