Lakshya Sen’s journey in the India Open came to an abrupt end as he lost in the first round to Lin Chun-Yi from Chinese Taipei. The match, which lasted only 37 minutes, ended with scores of 21-15, 21-10. Fans watched in disappointment as Lakshya struggled to keep up with Lin’s fast-paced gameplay.
A key moment happened in the second game. Lakshya, trailing 7-11, made a bold dive to return a series of powerful smashes from Lin. Although he managed to impress the crowd with his efforts, Lin quickly seized control, extending his lead to 12-7. This moment highlighted Lakshya’s tough battle against an opponent at the height of his game.
After the match, a frustrated Lakshya shared, “I couldn’t play my game today. My movements were a bit slow. I was prepared for a good match, but it just wasn’t my day.” This defeat marked his second straight first-round exit, following a similar early finish at the Malaysia Open.
In both tournaments, Lakshya entered fully ready but was unable to adapt and combat the aggressive styles of his rivals. In the first game against Lin, Lakshya fell behind quickly due to a mix of unforced errors and Lin’s offensive shots, eventually losing 21-15. Reflecting on his performance, he admitted, “I wasn’t connecting well. It was important to start strong, and I just couldn’t keep up with his pace.”
This pattern of struggle has been evident since the Paris Olympics, where he reached the semi-finals. Now, with just one title—the Syed Modi International—since then, he is eager to regain his form and limit his unforced errors.
Lakshya’s loss was part of a challenging day for Indian badminton players. Despite his early exit, there was a bright spot as Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto excelled in women’s doubles, winning their match 21-11, 21-12 against fellow Indians Kavya Gupta and Radha Sharma.
Malvika Bansod faced a tough match against third seed Han Yue from China. She fought back from 7-14 to 16-16 but eventually lost 20-22, 21-16, 21-11 after an hour and six minutes. Priyanshu Rajawat also put up a brave fight against sixth seed Kodai Naraoka, saving a match point in the second game but losing after a long battle, 21-16, 22-20, 21-13.
HS Prannoy, returning from battling chikungunya, played against Su Li Yang. After winning the first game, he ran out of steam, losing 16-21, 21-18, 21-12 in an hour and 13 minutes. Prannoy has acknowledged he’s still working on his fitness, admitting he’s operating at only “60 to 70 percent” of his usual self.
For him, the focus is on taking it one tournament at a time, especially after the setbacks from the past year. “I’m not looking too far ahead,” he said, emphasizing the need to build his performance back up.
As the tournament continues, all eyes are on India’s top players. PV Sindhu will compete against Japan’s Suizu Manami, while the men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty hope to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Kiran George, the last Indian in the men’s singles, is set to face world no. 17 Alex Lenier from France.
In the broader tournament scene, Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen made a comeback after dropping the first game, defeating Chi Yu Jen with scores of 16-21, 21-11, 21-13. An Se Young also advanced, winning her match 22-20, 21-15 against Chiu Pin-Chian.
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