Lakshya Sen could hardly have asked for a tougher start to his China Masters campaign.
The Indian shuttler will open his tournament against World No. 7 Alex Lanier, the 21-year-old Frenchman who only recently walked into badminton history by becoming the first French men’s singles world champion. Lanier’s stunning run at the World Championships culminated in a commanding 21-11, 21-11 victory over Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the final, making him only the third non-Asian singles world champion this century after Carolina Marin and Viktor Axelsen.
Now, Lanier will face one of India’s biggest names in the opening round of the China Masters.
For Lakshya, it is a daunting draw. The 25-year-old reached the All England Open final earlier this year and has already established himself as one of India’s leading men’s singles players, with a World Championships bronze medal and a fourth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics on his resume.
Yet 2026 has also brought some frustrating results. His second-round defeat to unheralded American teenager Garret Tan at the World Championships was particularly disappointing, underlining the inconsistency.
The Lanier-Lakshya first-round clash therefore promises to be much more than a routine opening-round match.