India’s campaign ends at China Open: Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty suffer second-round defeats

Ayush Shetty, Lakshya Sen of China Open 2026 (Images: X) India’s challenge at the China Open 2026 ended on Thursday after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty suffered defeat in the men’s singles round of 16 in Changzhou, China. Their exits, along with an earlier loss to PV Sindhu, brought down the curtain on India’s campaign in the BWF Super 1000 tournament.

Lakshya Sen squandered the lead in the first game

Lakshya Sen retreated after a straight-sets defeat to Canadian eighth seed Victor Lai, losing 19-21, 11-21. The Indian held a commanding 15-9 lead in the opening game but failed to capitalize as Lai staged a remarkable comeback to steal the opening game before dominating the second game to seal his place in the quarter-finals.

Ayush Shetty suffered a heartbreaking defeat

Youngster Ayush Shetty came agonizingly close to the last eight before losing 21-15, 13-21, 20-22 to Ire Nhat Nguyen. After opening the opening game, Shetty found himself in a strong position at 19-15 in the deciding game. However, Nguyen staged a stunning comeback, winning seven of the last eight points to grab the victory and knock out the Indian shuttler.

PV Sindhu also ends in the round of 16

Earlier in the day, PV Sindhu was eliminated after a spirited three-match battle against home favorite Chen Yufei. The two-time Olympic medalist lost 16-21, 22-20, 18-21 to end India’s hopes in the women’s singles competition.The focus shifts to the Taipei Open and the home World ChampionshipsWith the China Open campaign over, the Indian contingent will now focus on the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open, which is scheduled to begin on July 28. But the bigger focus will be the BWF World Cup 2026 to be held in New Delhi from August 17-23, where India will look to put on a strong performance on home soil.