Lakshya Sen Knocks Out Defending Champion Shi Yuqi in All England Open 2026

March 04, 2026: India’s former World Championship bronze medalist Lakshya Sen created the biggest upset on the opening day of the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026. He defeated top seed and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the men’s singles first round in Birmingham on Tuesday.

Sen, who was the 2022 finalist, won the match 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in one hour and 18 minutes. This was only his second win over the Chinese player, with the first coming at the Asian Games team championships.

India’s mixed doubles pair, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, also advanced to the second round. They beat the Malaysian pair Hoo Peng Ron and Cheng Su Yin 21-17, 21-19.

ICYMI

Lakshya Sen produced a display of mental strength and physical prowess to defeat China’s Shi Yu Qi in a gripping three-game contest that swung on razor-thin margins and relentless pace at the All England Open on Tuesday.

Lakshya prevailed 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in a match… pic.twitter.com/xNurJb9KfT

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) March 4, 2026

Lakshya Sen Steals the Spotlight

The day belonged to Sen. The 24-year-old started the first game aggressively and took a 17-10 lead. Shi fought back to make it 18-17. Sen then regained control and earned three game points. Shi saved all three, but Sen finally won the game.

In the second game, Shi was stronger and led 19-13. Sen tried hard to come back but could not, and the match went to a third game. In the decider, Sen played smartly at the net and dominated flat exchanges. He opened a 16-11 lead and earned four match points. Shi saved one, but his last lift went long, giving Sen the victory.

Meanwhile, Indian player Malvika Bansod lost 21-11, 21-6 against third seed Chen Yufei. Bansod was expected to be India’s best hope in the women’s singles after PV Sindhu had to withdraw. Sindhu could not reach Birmingham because she was stranded in Dubai due to airspace closures following the US-Israel strikes on Iran.