China Masters: Lakshya Sen exits early again, Srikanth advances

Lakshya Sen suffered another early exit as his troubles continued while Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the second round of the China Masters in Shenzhen on Wednesday. Lakshya, a bronze medalist at the 2021 World Championships, produced a listless and error-riddled performance against Canada’s Victor Lai as he lost 14-21, 7-21 in just 38 minutes.

Lai, the world number nine, was in control for most of the contest and used Lakshya’s growing frustration to win comfortably. The Canadian, who won his second World Championship bronze medal last month, has now beaten Lakshya three times in their four meetings.

Lakshya’s only win over Lai came at the All England Championships in March this year. The defeat adds to a tough few weeks for Lakshya, who has already suffered an unusual early exit from the World Cup at home.

There was no sign of a turnaround against Laio. Lakshya started the match strongly, racing to a 4-0 lead, but Lai quickly settled into the match and began dictating the rally with his resolute defence.

The Indian looked for a way through the Canadian’s defense and gradually lost patience. His errors began to mount, especially as he repeatedly found the backhand sideline, allowing Laio to take control of the opening game.

Once Lai moved forward, Lakshya was unable to regain his rhythm. The Canadian closed out the first game 21-14 and carried the momentum into the second.

After switching sides, Lakshya’s frustration became more and more apparent. Lai continued to absorb the pressure, extending the plays and waiting for the Indian to make mistakes.

Trailing 4-11, Lakshya could not find an answer. His attempts to force his way back into the match only led to more mistakes as Lai kept going for the win.

The Canadian closed out the second game 21-7 to complete the emphatic win and send Lakshya to the opening hurdle again.

SRIKANTH KEEPING INDIA’S HOPE ALIVE

Srikanth, the 2021 World Championship silver medalist, provided some relief to the Indian contingent by advancing to the second round. The experienced Indian defeated China’s Taipei Chi Yu Jen 21-16, 21-15 in his opening men’s singles match.

Srikanth remained in control throughout the contest and completed a straight games victory to advance to the next round. India also celebrated success in the mixed doubles as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto advanced after a dominant 21-8, 21-9 victory over Thailand’s Tonnakorn Saeheng and Tonnicha Saeheng.

Later in the day, there is more Indian interest, with the men’s doubles of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and the women’s singles of Tanvi Sharma and Devika Sihag starting their campaigns.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

02 Sep 2026 12:34 IST