Lakshya Sen Beats China's Li Shi Feng to Reach All England Open Semifinals
The win was also a sweet revenge for Lakshya, who had lost to Li in the quarterfinals of the 2025 edition. With this victory, Lakshya improved his head-to-head record against Li Shi Feng to eight wins in 15 matches.
March 03, 2026: Lakshya Sen continued his strong run and kept India’s hopes alive at the All England Open. He defeated China’s world No. 6 Li Shi Feng in straight games to reach the semifinals.
The world No. 12 Indian player, who was a finalist here in 2022, beat Li 21–13, 21–16 in the men’s singles quarterfinal. The match lasted one hour at the Utilita Arena Birmingham on Friday.
Lakshya played very well in the first game. He built a strong lead early. Li tried to make a comeback in the middle of the game, but Lakshya increased his attack and won the game comfortably.
The second game was closer. Both players scored points in the early stage. Lakshya had a small lead at the mid-game break and then moved ahead in the final points to win the match.
The win was also a sweet revenge for Lakshya, who had lost to Li in the quarterfinals of the 2025 edition. With this victory, Lakshya improved his head-to-head record against Li Shi Feng to eight wins in 15 matches.
The Sen Train is showing no signs of slowing down 🚂
Lakshya dispatches World No. 6 Li Shi Feng of China in a blitzing quarterfinals' display.
Next Stop: All England Semis! 🏸🔥 pic.twitter.com/mAx8U7o19x
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) March 6, 2026
Lakshya is the only Indian Left
Lakshya, who also reached the semifinals here in 2024, is now the only Indian player left in the tournament this year. Earlier, he shocked world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the first round.
He will now face Canada’s world No. 16 Victor Lai in the semifinals.
Other Indian players were knocked out earlier. The men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the first round. Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda also lost in the first round of women’s singles.
Two-time Olympian PV Sindhu withdrew from the tournament because she could not reach Birmingham in time due to travel problems in the Middle East. The mixed doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila also retired from their match on Thursday.
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