India missed a great chance to come back with two titles, as both Lakshya Sen and the men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended up as runners up at the Hong Kong Open Super 500 on Sunday (September 14, 2025).

For Lakshya, this was his first final since the Syed Modi Super 300 last November, but he just couldn’t keep up with his long time rival Li, whom he faced for the 14th time since their junior days.

The bronze medallist from the 2021 World Championship, Lakshya, kicked off the first game with a strong start, jumping to a 4-0 lead.

However, Li quickly found his groove with precise body shots and quick exchanges, narrowing the gap to 6-7.

The Chinese player then leveled the score at 8-8 with an impressive net kill and followed it up with five consecutive points, showcasing a combination of tight net play and powerful smashes to take the lead at 14-10.

Lakshya attempted to regain control at the front court but made some crucial errors as Li pulled ahead 19-15.

The Chinese player then executed a jump cross-court smash, sealing the first game at 21-15.

In the second game, taking advantage of the drift, Lakshya started off strong again at 4-1. 

Li fought back with well timed rallies. A few mistakes at the net and a missed smash left the Indian trailing at 7-4.

Even though he managed to produce some sharp defensive plays to close the gap to 9-12, he couldn’t stop Li’s relentless offense.

Lakshya was defeated by world No. 4 Li Shi Feng, finishing the men’s singles final with scores of 15-21 and 12-21 in a rather low key match.

DISCLAIMER: This article is derived from information available in the public domain.

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