New Delhi: Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen produced a stunning upset at the All England Open Badminton Championships on Tuesday, defeating world No. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in a thrilling Round-of-32 encounter at the Utilita Arena.
The match started with a tense first game, which Shi Yuqi narrowly won 23-21. Sen bounced back strongly in the second, taking it 21-19 to level the contest. In the decider, the Indian shuttler maintained composure, leading 11-9 at the break and gradually pulling ahead to seal the match 21-17 after one hour and 18 minutes of high-intensity badminton.
This victory marks Sen’s second career win over Shi Yuqi and cements his growing reputation on the world stage. With this win, Sen now progresses to the Round of 16, where he will face Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, China, according to olympics.com.
Sen’s triumph adds to a string of memorable performances by Indian shuttlers on international courts, highlighting the rise of India as a serious contender in men’s singles badminton.
In the women’s draw, reigning Olympic champion An Seyoung of South Korea defeated Neslihan Arin of Türkiye 21-8, 21-6 to advance to the round of 16. An, who has won her last seven tournaments, will now face Lin Hsiang-Ti of Chinese Taipei.
She will now face Lin Hsiang-Ti of Chinese Taipei for a spot in the quarter-finals. Lin earned this matchup after defeating South Korea’s Sim Yujin 21-16, 21-13.
