Lakshya Sen competes during the match against Kenta Nishimoto at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex (Express Photo | Abhinav Saha) Ayush Shetty will play first singles against World No 4 Christo Popov hoping to stop the French juggernaut, and keep his Thomas Cup record intact. Lakshya Sen will miss the semifinal tie. He had landed on his elbow and taken a thudding impact while going for a shot on Friday against Chinese Taipei. But it is yet unclear if his absence is owing to that. “Lakshya is dealing with a swollen playing arm—particularly around the elbow—after his fall in yesterday’s match against Chou Tien Chen. He is also struggling with blisters on his feet. This is certainly a setback for India. Let’s hope we can still win two singles matches today,” coach Vimal Kumar said. Ayush last played the WTF champion Popov at Hylo Open and lost in the semis, earlier in the European swing. However his game and confidence have evolved since, and he will shoulder the burden of the singles start.…