India’s men’s singles medal hope, Lakshya Sen, crashed out of the Badminton Asia Championships in the first round on Wednesday, April 8. He lost in straight games 12-21, 19-21 in 41 minutes against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu of China at the Lakshya Olympic Sports Centre.
After a strong showing at the All England Badminton Championships, Lakshya’s straight-match defeat to the lesser Lee came as a surprise to Indian fans. The Indian struggled to find a rhythm for much of the opening game and although he showed more resistance in the second, Lee’s control in rallies and ability to close out key points proved decisive.
While Lakshya bowed out early, star shuttler PV Sindhu managed to negotiate a tricky opening round test. Sindhu was pushed to the limit in a grueling one-hour and seven-minute match against Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching, eventually winning 15-21, 21-11, 21-19 in a three-match battle.
After being awarded the opening game, Sindhu recalibrated well and used her experience to dictate the pace in the second. The decider turned into a tight back-and-forth with long rallies and momentum swings defining the closing stages. Sindhu held her nerve at 19-19 and strung together the last two points to seal the advance.
However, India’s top score of the day came from Ayush Shetty. The rising Indian produced a superb performance to upset world No. 7 and Hong Kong Open 2025 champion Li Shi Feng of China in straight games 21-13, 21-16 at the Badminton Asia Championships to advance to the pre-quarterfinals.
Despite former world No.3 Li’s strong starts in both games, Ayush dominated the later stages with a composure beyond his years. He fought back early in the opening game and leveled at 4-4, with Li holding a slight lead until 7-7. From there, the 2025 US Open champion took control of the rally, increasing the pace and precision of his attacking game to overwhelm the home favorite and take the match 21-13.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with Li making the initial push and leading into the middle stages. However, Ayush leveled several times before switching gears at 13-13. The youngster reeled off six straight points, displaying sharp net play and controlled aggression to close out the match 21-16 in 51 minutes.
Ayush will face Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the pre-quarterfinals.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
April 8, 2026 14:36 IST
