World championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen staved off a spirited challenge from local hope Choi Ji Hoon to enter the men's singles second round of the Korea Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Tuesday.

Sen, who has been in sensational form in the last six months with back-to-back final finishes at German Open and All England Championships, beat Choi 14-21 21-16 21-18 in just over an hour in his opening round match. The sixth seeded Indian will next meet Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito.