India, Jan. 16 -- A 4,000-strong crowd waited all day for the lone local hope to take the court at the India Open. There were chants and good wishes sent his way.

And Lakshya Sen built on that buzz, winning the opening game to the delight of the fans. But his challenge slowly fizzled out as he went down 17-21, 21-13, 21-18 in an hour and eight minutes to Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun Yi at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

His loss in the men's singles quarter-finals - his fourth in as many meetings against the world No.12 - also ended the hosts' campaign at the Super 750 competition.

"It was a close match. The third game was more about pressure. He was playing well today as per the conditions. I was not prepared for the win...