Lakshya Sen storms into Australian Open final
Sydney (PTI): Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stormed into the men's singles final of the Australian Open Super 500 on Saturday with a gritty three-game win over world number six Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.
Showing mental toughness, Lakshya recovered from an opening-game setback and saved three match points in the second game to register a 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 win over second seed Taiwanese in an 86-minute semifinal.
The 24-year-old, who reached the Hong Kong Open final earlier this year but is yet to win a title this season, will face Japan's Yushi Tanaka in the summit clash.
Tanaka defeated Chinese Taipei's fifth seed Lin Chun-Yi 21-18 21-15 in the other semifinal.
Lakshya looked patchy early on while Chen was far more precise with his shot selection and execution, which allowed the Taiwanese to dominate the rallies. His steady play earned him a 11-6 lead at mid-game interval.
Chen's aggressive backcourt attack paid off as he raced to 14-7 advantage. Lakshya briefly halted the run with a big smash to the deep corner, but Chen immediately won back the serve with a sharp cross-court winner.
The Indian kept feeding shuttles into Chen’s hitting zone, and the Taiwanese repeatedly unleashed his power smashes.
A net error from Lakshya made it 19-13 before Chen, who had committed a few soft mistakes, steadied himself again. At 19-15, the two played a 44-shot rally that ended with Chen delivering a killing blow to earn five game points.
Lakshya saved two, but then drove one into the net to concede the opener.
After the change of ends, both players took time to adjust, trading errors as the score moved from 2-2 to 4-4. Chen’s pinpoint attacks began clicking again as he pulled ahead 7-4.
But Lakshya fought back superbly, levelling at 9-9 with Chen’s defence beginning to fray. The Taiwanese’s aggression softened and his accuracy dipped as Lakshya applied pressure to take an 11-9 lead with a fine net shot.
Chen clawed back to 12-all after Lakshya pushed a smash wide. At 14-13, Lakshya showcased his defensive grit with a series of exceptional saves before finishing the point with a smash.
Chen won another attacking exchange and moved to 16-17 after Lakshya lost point on net chord. The Taiwanese made it 17-all with a smash around the Indian’s hips and then edged ahead when Lakshya hit the net.
Lakshya sent one ballooning long and followed it with another mis-hit to hand Chen two match points.
But the Indian responded with a deep-corner winner, and Chen then hit the tape to make it 20-20. A tight net duel saw Chen claim his third match point, only to send the next shuttle long as the scores were levelled again.
Lakshya earned a game point with a smash that clipped the line. Chen saved it with a smash of his own, but the Indian grabbed a second opportunity with another brilliant winner and roared back into the match when Chen went long.
The difference in age seemed to come into play as a 24-year-old Lakshya looked more fresher than the 35-year-old Chen, whose movement grew laboured and errors mounted in the decider.
Lakshya raced to a 6-1 lead as Chen struggled for precision. Lakshya's length improved, his net game turned sharper, and he read Chen far better.
Chen's authority, which he had shown in the opening game, dissipated as Lakshya extended his lead to 10-5. He entered the interval 11-6 after Chen went long again.
The Indian extended it to 14-7 ahead. A service error from Chen pushed Lakshya to 17-9, and a crisp cross-court smash earned him eight match points. Chen saved four but eventually netted the shuttle, as Lakshya sealed an impressive comeback victory.
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Next round of Iran-US negotiations expected soon: Pak's Defence Minister
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Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.
Asif made these remarks on Monday, a day after the Islamabad talks failed to clinch a deal.
The 21-hour talks between the US and Iran on Saturday were the first of their kind since 1979 due to the involvement of top-level officials from both sides. The two sides, however, failed to secure a lasting peace deal to end hostilities following their talks in Pakistan over the weekend.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House, Asif said there had been a sense of satisfaction after the talks that there were no negative developments so far.
“Only positive progress has been observed,” he said, indicating that the ongoing diplomatic efforts were moving in a constructive direction.
The next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, he added.
The Express Tribune reported that responding to a question about whether Pakistan would play a decisive role in shaping the region’s future, Asif said that ultimate decisions rest with Allah.
Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad, said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Iran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions."
Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.
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