India’s Lakshya Sen crashed out of the French Open Super 750 after a straight-game loss to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in the men’s singles first round on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old, who had reached the Hong Kong
Open final last month, struggled from the outset, going down 7-21, 16-21 to world No. 29 Nhat.
Just last week, Lakshya had edged past the same opponent at the Denmark Open. But in Paris, he faltered, hitting wide and into the net while struggling against Nhat’s steep smashes.
Despite putting in effort during rallies, Lakshya’s finishing shots repeatedly failed, leaving him trailing 2-7 early. Nhat raced to a 19-7 lead in the opener and sealed it with a crisp cross-court winner.
The second game offered little respite. Lakshya fell behind 1-6, briefly fought back to 11-15, but crucial unforced errors allowed Nhat to secure six match points, eventually closing out the contest with a clever cross-court shot.
The result is a bitter early exit for the world No. 16 Indian, who now turns his focus to upcoming tournaments to regain rhythm and consistency.
(with PTI inputs)
