BWF World Championships: World No. 14 Lakshya Sen Stunned By USA’s World No. 92 Garrett Tan; PV Sindhu Wins Comfortably

New Delhi, August 19: Lakshya Sen’s campaign at the BWF World Championships 2026 came to a disappointing end as the Indian men’s singles star suffered a shock defeat to American Garret Tan in the Round of 32 in New Delhi. Sen, who was expected to make a deep run on home soil, lost 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 in a contest that lasted one hour and 13 minutes.

The opening game was closely fought, with neither player able to establish a decisive advantage. Sen briefly moved ahead at 7-6 before Tan responded, using his attacking game to repeatedly stretch the Indian across the court. The American’s powerful smashes and ability to find sharp angles troubled Sen, who found himself trailing 11-10 at the interval.

Tan (World No. 92) continued to threaten after the break, opening up a 15-13 advantage. Sen, however, responded with greater aggression and levelled the score at 15-15. The Indian began finding his range and looked increasingly confident as the game entered its decisive phase.

At 19-18, Sen produced a well-executed winner and clenched his fist in celebration, seemingly sensing that his game plan was working. He eventually closed out the opening game 21-19.

Tan came out firing in the second game and quickly established a lead. Sen initially struggled to match the American’s pace and trailed 8-11 at the interval. Tan extended the advantage to 14-10, but Sen refused to surrender.

The Indian began constructing longer rallies and forcing Tan to play outside his comfort zone. A couple of errors from the American, including a net mistake, allowed Sen to reduce the deficit. Sen’s retrievals became sharper, while his ability to absorb Tan’s attacking shots helped him mount a comeback. Tan was also attended to by the physio during the game, but returned to continue the contest.

Despite Sen’s late fightback, Tan held his nerve. With four match points available to the American, Sen could not complete another turnaround as Tan forced a decider by taking the second game 21-19.

The final game was another battle of attrition. Tan maintained his attacking intent while Sen fought to stay within touching distance. The American eventually completed a stunning comeback, winning 21-17 and securing the biggest victory of his young career.

Michele Li Ekes Out Unnati Hooda In A Nervy Game

Meanwhile, India’s 18-year-old Unnati Hooda came agonisingly close to a major upset before losing to Canadian veteran Michelle Li 21-11, 9-21, 21-23. Hooda dominated the opening game with her attacking strokeplay, using deep clears and steep smashes to take control. Li responded emphatically in the second, slowing the pace and drawing Hooda into uncomfortable net exchanges to level the contest.

The decider turned into a tense battle. Hooda held a match point at 20-19, but Li’s experience showed in the closing stages. The Canadian mixed flat drives with delicate net shots to disrupt Hooda’s rhythm and eventually edged out the teenager 23-21.

PV Sindhu Continues Her Winning Run At World Championship

There was better news for India as PV Sindhu advanced to the pre-quarterfinals with a composed 21-16, 21-17 victory over Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang. Sindhu initially faced resistance from Zhang but gradually took control by using her reach and deep clears to push her opponent towards the baseline.

The second game was tighter, with Zhang attempting to engage Sindhu in more net exchanges. Sindhu remained patient, flattened the rallies and forced errors before closing out the contest in 35 minutes.

With Sen and Hooda exiting, Sindhu now remains one of India’s key hopes in the singles events as the World Championships enter the knockout stages.