India had a mixed day in the BWF World Championships in the men’s contingent after Lakshya Sen bowed out in the Round of 32. However, Ayush Shetty and PV Sindhu continued their fine form and stormed into the pre-quarterfinal after comfortable wins at the Indira Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday (Aug 19). Ayush won 21-8, 21-10 against Dumindu Abeywickrama while Lakshya lost 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 to Garret Tan of the United States. The day also saw Unnati Hooda crash out despite being in good form heading into the tournament.
Lakshya Sen bows out
Lakshya Sen suffered a stunning exit from the BWF World Championships 2026 after going down 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 to USA’s 18-year-old world No. 92 Garret Tan in a fiercely contested second-round match here on Wednesday.
Playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Sen started brightly but was unable to contain Tan’s aggressive and fearless approach as the American produced the biggest win of his career to knock out the world No. 14, according to ESPN.
The opening game remained closely fought, with Tan holding a slender 11-10 lead at the interval. Sen, however, managed to stay composed in the closing stages and edged ahead to take the game 21-19.
Tan responded strongly in the second game, building an early 9-4 advantage and maintaining his lead through the middle stages. Sen attempted to fight back late and saved four game points after Tan had earned five, but the American eventually sealed the game 21-19 with a smash winner to force a decider.
Tan once again made the stronger start in the deciding game, racing to a 7-2 lead before extending it to 11-4 at the interval.
Sen, playing from the side where the drift had troubled players throughout the day, produced a determined comeback after the change of ends. The Indian used his counter-attacking game effectively to reduce the deficit to 13-10 and then 17-15.
Tan, however, held his nerve after receiving medical assistance for a head injury and moved to four match points. Sen saved one, but the American converted the next opportunity to complete a memorable victory.
Lakshya credited Garret for his win after the match. “I think, he was just a better player on court today. So yeah, I would give a lot of credit to him.”
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