birmingham, 5 March. India’s ace male shuttler Lakshya Sen entered the men’s singles quarterfinals of the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championship here on Thursday. At present, the only Indian challenge left in the competition is Lakshya as the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto had to face defeat.
Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long beats Angus in three-game clash
24-year-old Lakshya, ranked 12th in the world, defeated Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 after a struggle of one hour and 21 minutes in the first pre-quarterfinal of the day played on court number one of the Utilita Arena.
THE LAKSHYA IS SET!
A total masterclass in grit! Lakshya Sen battles through a 3-set thriller to storm into the All England 2026 Quarter-Finals!
The momentum is real. The hunger is unmatched. Next stop: The Quarters!pic.twitter.com/2Y1Rlot9oJ
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 5, 2026
Sen will now challenge sixth seed Chinese star Li Shi Feng
Lakshya, who was the runner-up of the 2022 season of this tournament, will now challenge sixth seed Li Shi Feng of China in the quarter-finals, who defeated Nhat Nguyen of Ireland 17-21, 21-12, 21-11 in a struggle that lasted one hour and 19 minutes on court number three.
Lakshya’s brilliant comeback after falling behind in the first game
World Championship (2021) bronze medalist Lakshya had earlier faced defeat in all the three matches he played against Long. He was trailing 4-6 at the start of the first game. However, he made a brilliant comeback to take a 15-11 lead and maintained the pressure with aggressive returns and precise placement.
Lakshya Sen
and Ng Ka Long Angus
clash for a spot in the quarterfinals.#BWFWorldTour #AllEngland2026 pic.twitter.com/u1ozF25qWr
— BWF (@bwfmedia) March 5, 2026
Lakshya made the score 17-13 with a precise overhead shot, but Long, who is ranked in the top 10, responded strongly to reduce the gap. After the tie at 19-19, Lakshya won the game point with another powerful smash and won the first game when the opponent’s shot went out.
Sen lost after losing 3 game points in the second game
Lakshya made a bright start in the second game with a cross-court smash and took an 11-4 lead at the break. He showed an excellent balance of power and accuracy to make the score 14-7. However, the Indian shuttler had trouble maintaining the rhythm after this and Long made a strong comeback by winning five consecutive points to take the score to 19-17. Lakshya got three match points, but he could not capitalize on them. The Hong Kong player equalized 20-20, secured game point and sent the match into a decider with a shot into the net.
Long could not continue his strength in the third game
Currently, Long, who was once in the top 10 ranking, could not continue his strength in the third game. Lakshya showed excellent mental strength during this period. They took a lead of 6-2 on the basis of fast and aggressive play. Against their strong defense, Long struggled to score points consistently.
The Indian player made the score 10-4 with a cross-court shot and then increased his dominance to take the score to 18-7. Ng Ka Long tried to make a comeback, but could not succeed against Lakshya’s excellent defensive ability and agility. Lakshya won several match points and won the match with another shot going out from the Hong Kong player and secured a place in the quarter-finals.
The pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto withdrew in the middle of the match.
On the other hand, in the pre-quarterfinals of the mixed doubles played on court number two, the pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto were trailing 19-21, 8-9 against Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Si Ying Sue, when due to injury they decided to leave the court.
The seeded pair of Satwiksairaj and Chirag lost in the first round.
Earlier on Wednesday, the famous Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to face a shocking defeat in the first round of men’s doubles. Malaysian Kank Khai Jing and Aaron Tai defeated fourth seeds Satwik and Chirag 23-21, 21-12 in 42 minutes.
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