Ayush Shetty booked his place in the pre-quarterfinals after beating Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10He will face Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the next round
Published: August 19, 2026, 9:13 PM IST
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Lakshya Sen in action at the BWF World Championships 2026(Credits: PTI)
Lakshya Sen suffered a surprise second-round defeat to USA’s Garret Tan at the BWF World Championships on Wednesday, bringing his campaign to an early endTwo-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty, however, moved into the pre-quarterfinals.
Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships, lost 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 to Tan in a closely fought men’s singles matchThe American, a former world junior No1, troubled Sen with his pace, attacking play and variation throughout the contest.
Tan started the match strongly and took a 4-1 lead, but Sen fought back as the opening game turned into a close battleThe scores stayed level at 18-18 before Sen managed to take control and win the game 21-19.
Tan came out with more aggression after the change of ends and quickly moved 4-0 aheadSen struggled to control the rallies as the American kept attacking his backhand cornerAlthough Sen fought back and saved four game points, Tan eventually won 21-19 to take the match into a decider.
The American dominated the early stages of the third game, moving 12-4 aheadSen then produced a strong fightback and reduced the gap to 15-17During one rally, Tan fell awkwardly and took a medical timeout after hitting his head.
Tan returned to the court and regained controlHe moved to 18-16 before a long serve from Sen gave him another openingA cross-court smash then earned Tan four match pointsSen tried to stay alive with a series of attacking shots, but he slipped while moving towards the front court on the next rallyTan finished the point to complete a memorable victory.
Sen admitted that he was physically exhausted by the third game and gave credit to Tan for playing a solid match.
“It was a very tough matchI gave my all whatever I had in my tankI was also exhausted physically in the third game,” Sen said.
He added that the defeat would hurt because it came at a major tournament but said he would now focus on the big events ahead.
Sindhu, meanwhile, continued her campaign with a straight-game win over Canada’s Wen Yu ZhangThe ninth-seeded Indian won 21-16, 21-17 to enter the last 16Sindhu, the 2019 world champion, is chasing a record sixth World Championships medalShe will next face China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi.
Ayush Shetty also booked his place in the pre-quarterfinals after beating Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama 21-8, 21-10He will face Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the next round.
In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced after their Scottish opponents, Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle, withdrew because Dunn suffered a right ankle injury during his mixed doubles match.
Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila also progressed after beating Macau’s Leong Iok Chong and Ng Weng Chi 21-11, 21-11.
Unnati Hooda’s campaign ended after she lost 21-11, 9-21, 21-23 to Canada’s 12th seed Michelle LiMen’s doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun also exited after losing 17-21, 14-21 to Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.
Elsewhere, Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke produced another upset by beating All England champion and world No12 Lin Chun-yi 13-21, 21-17, 21-11.
