India’s challenge at the Macau Open Super 300 badminton tournament came to an end on Saturday after Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli both lost their men’s singles semifinal matches.

Lakshya, a 2021 world championship bronze medallist and current Commonwealth Games champion, could not match the agility and precision of Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, succumbing 16-21 9-21 in a 39-minute contest to continue his poor run and lack of form and fitness this season.

In the other semifinal, India’s Tharun Mannepalli lost to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in a fiercely contested three-game match which lasted one hour and 21 minutes.

Twenty-three-year-old Tharun, ranked 47th in the world, squandered a dominant start to lose 21-19 16-21 16-21 in a match marked by shifting momentum and several unforced errors.

It has been a tough season for World Number 17 Lakshya, who has had seven first-round exits and two second-round crash-outs this season. The 23-year-old, who has been affected by shoulder, back and ankle issues this season, had entered the tournament to gain some confidence before heading to the World Championships in Paris.

However, it was Farhan, the 2023 World Junior Champion and a member of Indonesia’s bronze-medal-winning Sudirman Cup squad, who produced a dominating performance to knock Lakshya out of the tournament.

World number 25 Farhan recovered from a 0-3 start to lead 11-7 at the first break in the opening game. He dominated the pace of rallies with precise drops and powerful smashes, catching the Indian off-guard on multiple occasions.

Though Lakshya produced some impressive strokes, he lacked consistency and often floundered in execution at critical moments. A backhand winner brought him to 13-19, but a serve into the net handed Farhan five game points, and the Indonesian converted when Lakshya sent one long.

The second game followed a similar pattern. With Farhan leading 5-4, a 38-shot rally ended with a sharp cross smash from the Indonesian, who then extended his lead to 11-5 at the interval. Lakshya looked unsure and could not counter Farhan’s pressure tactics at the net and forecourt.

Farhan raced to a 14-6 lead with another cross-court smash. Lakshya sent one wide and then found the net, allowing Farhan to grab 12 match points. The Indonesian missed one before sealing the match on the next opportunity.

Tharun, on the other hand, started well, racing to an 11-6 lead in the opener. Two wide returns helped him build a 17-12 cushion before Justin fought back to level at 18-all. After wasting one game point, Tharun closed it with a straight return. In the second game, Justin led 8-6 after capitalising on Tharun’s errors. Though the Indian levelled at 13-13, the errors he committed thereon handed Justin a 17-14 lead and eventually the game. In the decider, Tharun again held a 6-3 lead before Justin turned the tables. The Indian reduced the deficit to 13-16, but faltered again.