Lakshya Sen was in his elements as he produced a top-class show to overcome World No. 1 Shi Yuqi of the People’s Republic of China in a pulsating three-game contest to enter the men’s singles second round at the All-England Open Badminton Championships 2026 at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Tuesday.
Lakshya Sen, 12th in the men’s singles badminton rankings, beat top seed and reigning world champion Shi Yuqi 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in an hour and 18 minutes.
The Indian made a brisk start, edging ahead 11-9 at the mid-game interval before surging to an 18-12 lead. Shi Yuqi mounted a late fightback to force a tie-break, but Lakshya held his nerve to clinch the opening game.
In the second game, Shi Yuqi dictated terms early, leading 11-8 at the interval and then stretched his advantage to 19-13 before withstanding a spirited comeback from Lakshya to take the game and push the contest into a decider.
True to the pattern of the contest, the decider unfolded on a knife’s edge with Lakshya carrying a slender 11-9 lead into the interval. Lakshya, a Paris 2024 Olympics semifinalist, then shifted gears after the break and tightened his grip on the rallies to close out the match and book his place in the next round.
This was Lakshya’s second win in six matches against Shi Yuqi and his first in the last five meetings between them.
Malvika falls to Chen Yufei
Meanwhile, Malvika Bansod, 52nd in the women’s singles rankings, lost her opening round match 21-11, 21-6 against world No. 3 Chen Yufei of China.
Ayush Shetty and India’s top-ranked doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty will begin their respective All England Open campaigns on Wednesday.
Sindhu withdraws after being stuck in Dubai
Top player PV Sindhu withdrew from the tournament after she was unable to make it to Birmingham in time. The Indian ace was stuck in transit in Dubai due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.
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