Lakshya defeats Chou, advances to Aus Open final

Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stormed into the men's singles final of the Australian Open Super 500 with a gritty three-game win over world number six Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, here Saturday.

- Press Trust of India

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.