Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Lakshya Sen wins season's fourth title with Scottish Open

Fast-rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen claimed his fourth title in three months, bagging the Scottish Open with a thrilling win over Brazil's Ygor Coelho in the men's singles summit clash in Glasgow.

The top-seeded Indian overcame his Brazilian opponent 18-21, 21-18, 21-19 in a 56-minute final on Sunday night.


The 18-year-old from Uttarakhand has now clinched three titles out of the four tournaments that he has played since September―SaarLorLux Open, Dutch Open, and Belgian International.

After losing in the second round of Irish Open, Lakshya made amends this week and dished out some superb performances right from the start.

“Happy to win the scotish open title!! A hard fought match against my friend @co3lho12. It was really nice training with you in Denmark and playing a good match against you today,” Sen tweeted.

The Indian began his campaign with a straight-game win over Austria's Luka Wraber, before defeating compatriot Kiran George to reach the quarterfinals.

The world no.41 Indian then recorded another straight-game win over sixth-seed Brian Yang before seeing off France's Christo Popov in the semifinals.

After this win, Lakshya will break into the top-40 in the BWF rankings and inch closer to a direct qualification in the top grade 2 events.

Lakshya thus joined fellow Indians Anand Pawar (2010 and 2012), Arvind Bhatt (2004) and Pullela Gopichand (1999) in winning the Scottish Open title.

During the final, Lakshya had fallen behind in the opening game but he managed to turn the tables and grab a 10-8 lead. Coelho, however, reeled off six straight points to move to a 14-10 lead.

The Indian kept breathing down his opponent's neck but Coelho ensured he had the bragging rights after the opening game.

Stung by the reversal, Lakshya came out firing in the second round and jumped to a 7-0 lead in the second game. The Brazilian slowly clawed back at 17-17 but Lakshya managed to bounce back into the contest.

The decider turned out to be an evenly-fought contest and both the shuttlers battled hard to gain the lead. Coelho enjoyed an 11-8 advantage at the break but a gritty Lakshya kept drawing parity and eventually had the last laugh. PTI

Lakshya will now play at the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament at Lucknow starting Tuesday.

More For You

Instagram Restricts Top Pakistani Artists in India Over Tensions

Pakistani stars Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan among celebrities whose Instagram profiles are now blocked in India

Getty Images

Instagram blocks profiles of Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in India amid rising tensions

The Instagram profiles of Pakistani celebrities like Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan are no longer accessible in India. This development comes just weeks before Fawad’s planned Bollywood return with Abir Gulaal and follows a series of social media restrictions tied to the worsening India–Pakistan relationship.

When Indian fans try to view the artists' Instagram pages, they’re met with a message: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." No official clarification has come from either the Indian government or Meta, but the timing is significant. The move comes days after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region killed 26 people, most of them tourists. It was one of the deadliest attacks since the 2008 Mumbai carnage.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hajj pilgrims cautioned over meningitis and MERS bug

Hajj and Umrah pilgrims are required to show proof of a valid MenACWY vaccination when arriving in Saudi Arabia

iStock

Hajj pilgrims cautioned over meningitis and MERS bug

BRITAIN’s health security agency has urged pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah to get vaccinated against meningococcal disease, following a small number of recent cases in the country linked to travel.

Between February and March, five people in England and Wales developed MenW, a type of meningococcal infection, after either visiting Saudi Arabia or having close contact with someone who had, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Keep ReadingShow less
cricket representational

The ECB said its recreational cricket regulations had always aimed to make the sport inclusive.

iStock

Trans women banned from playing women's cricket in England and Wales

TRANSGENDER women have been banned from playing in women’s and girls’ cricket in England and Wales following a policy change announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday.

The ECB’s decision follows a UK Supreme Court ruling last month which stated that the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person’s sex at birth and does not include transgender women who hold a gender recognition certificate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lancashire bats for Indian
board to join The Hundred

The Indian cricket board currently does not allow its men’s players to participate in any overseas T20 leagues, including The Hundred

Lancashire bats for Indian board to join The Hundred

THE England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should offer the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a minority ownership stake in The Hundred to attract Indian players to the competition, Lancashire CEO Daniel Gidney has suggested.

“I think it’s possible. If I was the ECB, I’d be talking about perhaps bringing the BCCI in as a minority ownership partner in the tournament as a whole. If you do that, then you are aligning interests,” Gidney told the ESPNCricinfo website.

Keep ReadingShow less
Why strengthening UK-India bonds ‘is personal’ for Nandy

Lisa Nandy and Vikram Doraiswami

Why strengthening UK-India bonds ‘is personal’ for Nandy

LISA NANDY has said the UK hopes to forge a “closer cultural partnership” with India after she returns from her first trip to Mumbai and New Delhi as secretary of state for culture, media and sport from Thursday (1) to Sunday (4).

She made the promise at a reception hosted jointly last week by her department and the High Commission of India at the St James Court Taj Hotel in central London.

Keep ReadingShow less