India’s Lakshya Sen stuns world No 1 Shi Yuqi of China
Indian star Sindhu withdrew from tournament after she had to return to India from Dubai
Dubai: India’s Lakshya Sen stunned world No 1 Shi Yuqi of China in a thrilling three-game battle to reach the men’s singles second round at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 on Tuesday.
Playing at the Utilita Arena Birmingham, the 12th-ranked Indian defeated the top seed and reigning world champion 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in a gripping contest that lasted one hour and 18 minutes.
The win marked Lakshya Sen’s second triumph in six meetings against Shi Yuqi and his first in their last five encounters.
In mixed doubles, India’s Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto progressed to the second round after defeating Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin 21-17, 21-19.
However, India’s women’s doubles campaign ended in the opening round as the two-time semi-finalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand fell 21-15, 15-21, 21-18 to Japan’s Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto.
In women’s singles, world No 52 Malvika Bansod suffered a straight-game defeat, losing 21-11, 21-6 to world No. 3 Chen Yufei of China. Unnati Hooda also bowed out after going down 21-12, 21-18 to Thailand’s eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong.
Meanwhile, Ayush Shetty and India’s top-ranked men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to begin their respective campaigns on Wednesday.
Indian star PV Sindhu withdrew from the tournament after being unable to reach Birmingham in time. She was stranded in transit in Dubai due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East and was forced to return to India.
