India, Aug. 2 -- With top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong knocked out by compatriot Tharun Mannepalli in the second round, Lakshya Sen was the favourite to win the Macau Open crown this weekend.

All had been going well with the second seeded Indian, who fortunately has been free of injuries or any other issue, as he beat competitive opponents from South Korea, Indonesia and China in the first three rounds.

But as has been the case more often than not of late, inconsistency caught up with the world No.17 as he lost 16-21, 9-21 in 39 minutes to Indonesian Alwi Farhan in the men's singles semi-finals on Saturday.

India's highest ranked male shuttler, Sen has endured a very average run of form for the last few years with only patches of br...