Sen's Stunning Exit

India's Lakshya Sen made an early exit from the BWF World Championships on Wednesday, losing 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 to USA's 18-year-old world No. 92 Garret Tan in a fiercely contested second-round match at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The 14th-seeded Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships, started brightly but could not contain Tan's aggressive and fearless approach, as the American produced the biggest win of his career, 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.

Sen's Reaction

Sen admitted he was disappointed after the defeat, saying he was forced to play a catch-up game for much of the contest. "It was a good match. I gave a lot of credit to my opponent. He played a very solid game," Sen said. "Towards the third set, both of us were completely exhausted. I think I gave it my all. In the end, it was just not enough to win this match. I am a little bit disappointed."

Sen elaborated on his struggles, saying, "He was quite dominant throughout the match. I was always playing the covering-up game. I still had my chances. I was always covering up the scores. Eventually, he was taking those points." He added, "I was playing a lot of times under pressure and always trying to play the catch-up game."

Sen refused to blame Tan's smashes, saying, "No, I didn't. Those were good smashes." He noted that neither side of the court offered a significant advantage: "I was playing on the least positive side of the court... Both sides were pretty even today. All three games were 21-19, 21-19 and 21-17." Sen also mentioned that the shuttle's pace made it difficult to finish points, especially in long rallies, and that drift was not playing a big role compared to other days. He said the strategies were the same because Tan was solid in attack and defence, and he couldn't get chances. "You can't finish the shots pretty well," he added.

Tan's Perspective

Tan, who confirmed this was the biggest win of his career, said, "I'm still speechless right now. I just can't believe I'm playing tomorrow." He admitted the home crowd affected him in the third set. Tan said targeting Sen's backcourt was "yes and no" and that it was his style. He also revealed he hit his head during the contest and would get it checked by a doctor.

Other Indian Results

India had a mixed day in the men's contingent. Ayush Shetty continued his fine form and stormed into the pre-quarterfinal after a comfortable 21-8, 21-10 win against Dumindu Abeywickrama. PV Sindhu also reached the pre-quarterfinals.

In men's doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the pre-quarterfinals after receiving a walkover in the second round. The fifth-seeded Indians, who have already won two bronze medals at the World Championships, had received a first-round bye and were scheduled to face Scotland's Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle. The Scottish pair withdrew after Dunn suffered a right ankle injury during his mixed doubles match earlier in the day. Dunn and partner Julie Macpherson were trailing Thailand's second seeds Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 8-18 when Dunn sustained the injury.

The Indian mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila also advanced to the pre-quarterfinals with a comfortable 21-11, 21-11 victory over Macau's Leong Iok Chong and Ng Weng Chi.

Young Unnati Hooda, making her World Championships debut, bowed out after squandering an opening-game advantage against Canada's 12th seed Michelle Li. Unnati won the opening game 21-11 but could not maintain the momentum, losing the next two 9-21, 21-23 to exit in the women's singles round of 32.

In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun also crashed out after losing 17-21, 14-21 to Korea's Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju.