Lakshya Sen was eliminated in the first round of the men’s singles French Open Super 750 in Paris by Ir Nhat Nguyen on Tuesday 21 October. Sen, who has been in good form recently with a final appearance at the Hong Kong Open and victory over Nguyen last week at the Denmark Openhe could not repeat his previous success. The match ended 7–21, 16–21 in favor of Nguyen, with Sen’s errors proving costly throughout.
The Indian ace started the match on the back foot, struggling to land his deep throws and misfiring his attacking strokes. He trailed 2–7 at the start of the first game, but was unable to recover, trailing 5–11 in the process. Nhat Nguyen stepped up the pressure, keeping the pace high and taking advantage of Sen’s mistakes to close out the opening 21-7 with a crisp back-and-forth winner.
In the second game, Sen again failed to find a rhythm and trailed 1–6 at the mid-game interval and later 5–11. Although he briefly got back to 11–15, unforced errors continued to mar his progress. Nguyen showed excellent control and variety and eventually closed out the match after Sen staved off two match points.
It was the Irish ace’s better control and fewer mistakes as he capitalized on Sen’s erratic play that was decisive. Nguyen’s deceptive shots across the court and consistent rally allowed him to dictate the proceedings. Sen’s form, unlike his recent performance in Denmark, highlighted inconsistency in shot selection and execution under pressure.
The defeat follows his runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open and raises questions about his consistency at major events. Sen looked off-color throughout the match, unable to find a way past Nguyen’s tight defense and sharp shots. His frequent attempts wide and into the net contrasted with his usual accuracy. Mistakes gave Nguyen many opportunities to control the rally and keep the pressure on the score.
This was Sen’s 11th first-round exit in 17 BWF events this year. It was also the first time Nguyen had defeated Sen in his four fights to date.
– The end
Published on:
October 21, 2025
