Lakshya Sen outsmarted reigning World champion Loh Kean Yew 21-18, 21-15 as India displayed its might to blank Singapore 3-0 and enter the mixed team badminton final at the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, on Monday.
The men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Reddy and Chirag Shetty gave India the lead in the semi-final with a 21-11, 21-12 win over Yong Kai Terry Hee and Andu Jun Kian Kwek.
Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu was then clinical against 19th-ranked Jia Min Yeo, winning 21-11, 21-12 to extend the lead.
The third match between the 10th-ranked Sen and No. 9 Loh was the most-anticipated rubber of the semi-final.
Sen, who extended his head-to-head count over Loh to 4-2, took his chances against the Singaporean and succeeded.
The Indian used his booming forehand to upset Loh's rhythm. He started slowly as Loh took a 4-0 lead in the first game, but bounced back to make it 6-6 after a long rally, Loh not sure whether to leave the shuttle or hit it.
Sen went into the break with a slender 11-10 advantage and made it 14-10 after two unforced errors from Loh's racket. He followed it up with a powerful smash on Loh's forehand and made it 16-10.
Loh narrowed the gap, but Sen went 1-0 up in the match after the Singapore star hit into the net.
The second game too was a tough battle, but Sen always maintained the lead and closed out the match.
"It was a good match against him. I knew what to expect today. The plan worked today. Really happy that India is in the final again," said Sen, after the match, also thanking a vociferous Indian crowd at the NEC arena.
Earlier, Sindhu was always in control against Yeo. She led 11-6 at the first game interval. A drop shot winner after a long rally made it 13-7. It was followed by a body smash on Yeo for 16-8. Too many unforced errors were committed by Yeo.
The second game too was smooth sailing for Sindhu, who raised her hands in triumph after Yeo tapped a service wide on match-point.
Rankireddy and Shetty also thanked the crowd after the first match.
"It was a really important match. We felt the goosebumps every time they chanted India India," said Shetty.
