Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 16-21: The Indian pair is clearly not the finished article and they were getting caught out defensively but this tournament would have proved to them that they can compete and they can win even against the best in the business. And that is a huge plus.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 16-21: A brilliant run has ended for Treesa and Gayatri but it is a run that gives us and them so much hope for the future. The Chinese pair got the job done on the day and finished better in both games.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 16-20: Four match points!
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 16-18: Two really nice plays by Gayatri and the lead is down to two points. The Indian pair needed this.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 14-18: A four-point gap after Jolly misjudges one. The challenge didn’t help either.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 14-16: Zheng/Zhang open up a two-point lead. It is tight and this could be crucial.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 14-14: Gayatri and Jolly combining well to snare another point. We are all level at 14-14.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 11-12: Gayatri with a quick move to the net and then the finish.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 10-11: Very tight at this point. Neither pair able to string together some points and that means both teams have a chance as we approach the business end.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 8-8: No real flow to this. It goes one way and then another. The Chinese pair have drawn level.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 7-5: Jolly with the smash down the middle that none of the Chinese shuttlers could respond do. Perfect smash for doubles.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 6-3: Two quick points and the Indian pair has built up a three-point lead.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 4-3: Another error from Jolly but the Indian pair has started the second game well.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21, 2-2: And that’s more like it. Some lovely play from Gayatri. From the back to the front and finally the finish.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 17-21: The first game was close for the most part but the Chinese pair pulled away towards the end and that was enough. Gayatri needs to get into this a bit more. Jolly is trying to do a lot but some interceptions at the net could make a big difference.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 15-20: Five game points for the Chinese pair.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 15-19: Much better from the Chinese pair but errors from the Indians. Not quite there at this point.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 15-17: Two big errors from Jolly – one a service error and then an error on the return. Two point lead.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 14-14: Jolly snatches at a smash and dumps it into the net.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 13-12: A proper battle now. Both sides testing each others. Some sharp exchanges and powerful smashes.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 11-11: A good body smash forces the error out of Jolly and the Chinese pair draw level.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 11-10: Two points for the Chinese pair right after the break and they are back within one.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 11-8: Really good stuff from the Indian pair. They have been disciplined and avoided unforced errors as well. A three-point lead is a handy one to have.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 9-7: Gayatri with a nice finish at the net. A quiet presence but doing her job very efficiently.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 7-5: The Chinese pair can’t handle Jolly at the moment. The Indian pair moves ahead now.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 4-4: Jolly getting a lucky net cord but she has been making some big plays for the Indian pair.
Women’s doubles, Treesa-Gayatri vs Zhang-Zheng - 1-3: The Chinese pair takes an early lead but it doesn’t mean much at this point.
Women’s doubles: The players are on court and it is time for the match to begin.
Women’s doubles: Time for Teresa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to take the court. They are taking on Zheng and Zhang from China.
Men’s doubles: Ahsan/Setiawan win easily in the end. They were in fine touch today. Into the final, they go!
Men’s doubles: He/Tan find their rhythm in the second game and display some wonderful attacking badminton. We are going to a decider.
Men’s doubles: The Minions were knocked out earlier in the day but the Daddies are still going strong. Ahsan/Setiawan take the first game against He/Tan.
Women’s singles: A fabulous win for Akane Yamaguchi. This was the second seed at her best, brilliant movement and defence with a generous sprinkling of attacking strokes.
Women’s singles: Akane Yamaguchi takes the first game against Chen Yu Fei rather easily.
The evening session will begin soon. Here’s the order of play:
From the mixed zone: Lakshya Sen after his win...
How are you feeling after beating the defending champion?
Towards the end, I was just play just one point at a time and not play the things that were going around. Not trying to think that this was a semi-final. The thought was still coming in but I was just trying to play one point at a time. I am happy that I won the match and that I get to play tomorrow. I will take this time to recover for the final.
Talk us through the match…
First game I got a good length and I was playing well from the net. The lifts were working. But when the second game started, I made a lot of errors at the net. He got a lead in the beginning and it was really hard to cover that up. But going into the third game, I tried to play safe at the net rather than going too close. I was trying not to give easy points.
Physical battle. Were you expecting that?
Yes, definitely. When you play a player like him, you expect that. Against any top 10 player… against any top 30 player… you prepare to go all out. I was expecting this. I was really prepared to play and the rest that I got yesterday helped.
Did you enjoy the atmosphere?
Lovely to play with that crowd. Still have to go one more match. I think the crowd was lovely and great to play in front of.
8.53 pm: That also brings the morning session to end. India have Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand taking part in the second session which will begin in an hour and a half.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 19-21: Once again, we saw Lakshya display a grit that has almost become his trademark. He trailed for most of the decider but as LZJ became passive, the youngster stepped up. Fabulous play!
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 19-21: Lakshya Sen is into the final of the All England Open. What phenomenal fight! What a player! He never ever gives up.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 19-20: Desperate defence from LZJ. He somehow manages to get it back. Still alive.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 18-20: Two match point for Lakshya.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 18-19: Sen in the lead now. He has seized the moment and how. Pressure on LZJ.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 18-18: Wow. We are all even at 18-18. Lakshya going all out. He is in this.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 18-17: Brilliant crosscourt smash by Lakshya.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 17-16: LZJ has become a bit too passive and Lakshya has stepped right up. Fabulous fight.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 16-15: Two quick points and this is a one-point game. Pressure!!!
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 16-13: Short, sharp exchanges... almost felt like a doubles match there for a few seconds. Lakshya comes out on top.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 16-12: Powerful smash by LZJ makes it a four-point lead. The chance for the Indian... are fading.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 15-12: Gruelling rally and then Lakshya sends one well wide. He challenged the call to no avail. Is the gap enough for LZJ?
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 14-12: LZJ helps by pushing one very wide.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 14-11: Lakshya wins one with a nice smash but he needs to 2-3 points spurt before LZJ move further ahead.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 13-10: More aggression from LZJ and another point. A three-point lead.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 12-10: Lakshya lifts one long. LZJ left it well.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 11-9: A two-point lead for the defending champion at the interval. He also now moves to the end from which he won the second game.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 10-9: LZJ moves back ahead. Good anticipation and point construction doing the trick for him.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 8-9: Lakshya moves ahead with a nice body shot. It forced the error out of LZJ.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 8-8: All even again. Here comes Lakshya. Just the thing he needed to give himself a push.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 8-6: LZJ looking a bit better from the physical perspective but Lakshya will keep going at him.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 5-5: Lakshya finds the line with his crosscourt. Nice control. Just needs something to force LZJ on the defensive a bit more.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 4-3: A physical battle. A long rally and LZJ finally wins. Hands on hips at the end of it for the Malaysian.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 3-3: Nice smash and then the super quick follow-up to finish the point at the net. LZJ is right in this. Scores even.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 2-3: Sharp exchanges before Lakshya sends the shuttle into the net.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12, 0-2: Two points for Lakshya to start the second game. The drift will also be a factor here. Both players have done better from the side Lakshya is at now.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 21-12: And we are going to have a decider. LZJ was in dominant form in the second game. His smashes were working and so was his defence. Lakshya will hope the change in ends gets him back in this.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 20-11: Nine game points!
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 18-10: A 352 km/h smash gets LZJ another point.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 17-10: What an incredible rally! LZJ wins it to break Lakshya’s run of points. Ooof! Some really good reactions from both players.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 16-10: Wow. Just six points in this now. Too many errors from LZJ, Lakshya won’t be complaining.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 16-8: LZJ gets his challenge wrong and that makes it three points in a row for Lakshya.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 16-5: LZJ has gone straight into top gear here. Exceptional play and suddenly the smashes aren’t coming back.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 13-5: This is going to be draining for Lakshya. But he never stops working, he never stops trying. That is his motto.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 12-4: The commentators discussing whether Lakshya should try to catch up or whether he should save his energy for the next game.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 11-3: LZJ bossing it in the second game. Is it drift or is it just a change in plans? What is working for him? And what does Lakshya do from this point?
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 9-2: LZJ has turned on the class. This is how he was playing against Momota yesterday.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 8-2: Now LZJ produces a brilliant defensive play. Will this force Lakshya to try something different?
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 7-2: A nice five-point cushion for LZJ.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 5-2: LZJ clearly working harder in the second game. Just pressuring Lakshya that wee-bit more.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21, 2-1: LZJ unleashing a few big jump smashes. He needs to do more of that. Lakshya will make him work hard.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-21: Lakshya Sen wraps up the game in quick time. No drama. He was always ahead, controlled the pace of the match very well and LZJ never found any attacking rhythm.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 13-20: Seven game points!
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 12-17: Brilliant reflex defensive play by Lakshya to go up 17-12. Just too good! How did he get that back!
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 12-15: Two long pushes by LZJ and the gap is back at three points.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 12-13: The gap is down to just one point. Lakshya still leads but only just.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 10-13: Brilliant defence from Lakshya. Forcing LZJ to go closer to the lines because nothing else seems to be working. Finally, the Malaysian sends it wide.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 9-12: Another long rally and Sen comes up with the crosscourt smash to win the point.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 9-11: LZJ unleashes tow big smashes to cut the lead down to just two points. A fine rally that brought out the best in both players.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 7-11: Very steady play by Lakshya. Once again, not bothered by the player at the other end. He is just doing his thing and sticking to his game plan.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 6-10: Sen is frustrating LZJ by getting a lot of shots back. A perfect start for the young Indian.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 6-6: Sen led 6-4 but LZJ quickly closes the gap. The defence by the Indian is clearly of a very high quality.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 4-6: An intriguing start if anything. LZJ sends two shots wide and Lakshya gets a two-point lead.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 4-4: Nice crosscourt smash to LZJ’s backhand side and then the quick finish at the net. Lakshya doing that so well.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 3-3: The game being played at a rather gentle pace so far. Both can be faster but they just seem to be getting a feel of the conditions.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 1-1: Now Lakshya sending one long. The crowd is already involved. Great atmosphere.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 0-1: First point to Lakshya. Solid defence, good movement around the court from both players before LZJ finally sent one wide.
Men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen - 0-0: Here we go!
On evidence on what we saw yesterday, Lakshya Sen would believe he has more than a fair chance against Lee Zii Jia. But Sen’s defence will have to be on point and he will have to do his bit while attacking too. Should be fun.
Mixed doubles: Watanabe/Higashino have knocked out the top seeds. Third top seed to be knocked out today. The Thai pair never found their rhythm. This also means that it is finally time for Lakshya Sen vs Lee Zii Jia.
Mixed doubles: A one-sided match so far. Watanabe/Higashino have been too good for the top seeds thus far.
The mixed doubles match between the top seeds Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH/Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI and fourth seeds Yuta WATANABE/Japan Arisa HIGASHINO will begin now. Lakshya Sen’s match is right after that.
Women’s doubles: Seventh seeds Matsuyada/Shida are through to the final with a comfortable win. A bit too good for the Korean pair and they break the run of upsets today. They will face the winner of the Treesa/Gayatri vs Zhang/Zheng match next.
Women’s doubles: The first game goes to Matsuyada/Shida. Some wonderful touches by the Japanese pair and their placement was fabulous. Jeong/Kim haven’t quite come to grips with their opponents at this point and to be fair, they have looked a little nervous too.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana have now beaten their senior colleagues Minions in two meetings out of two on the BWF World Tour. An Seyoung has beaten TTY twice in their three meetings. Won’t be surprised if both are subtle change of guards long term.
Men’s singles: Another couple of matches before Lakshya Sen takes the court in the last match of the morning session.
Men’s doubles: Some pretty crazy rallies but in the end Fikri/Maulana knock out the top seeds in a match that lasted 58 minutes.
Men’s doubles: The Minions come right back to force a decider. Smart, sharp play with fewer errors did the trick.
Men’s doubles: Fikri/Maulana have taken the first game against the Minions! Here we go. A day for upsets?
Women’s singles: A brilliant performance by An Se Young to knock out Tai Tzu Ying. She visibly frustrated TTY with the length on her lifts and superb defence. Just too good!
Women’s singles: An Se Young has taken the first game against Tai Tzu Ying with some very fine, controlled play. She took the lead early and kept it.
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the All England Open. Lots of high-quality matches on the schedule but if you are an Indian fan, then your eye will be on two matches in particular.
First, Lakshya Sen will take on defending champion Lee Zii Jia. The young Indian star got a walkover while LZJ got the better of Kento Momota in a wildly fluctuating encounter.
The big surprise, however, will be Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. They will take on the Chinese pair of Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu.