Lakshya Sen battled fiercely against Taiwan's Lin Chun-Yi in the men's singles quarterfinals of the India Open 2026, a BWF World Super 750 tournament hosted by the Badminton Association of India at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
The Indian star secured the first game but faltered against the quicker side of the court, ultimately losing 17-21, 21-13, 21-18 in a tense 68-minute encounter that knocked out the home challenge on Friday.
Sen took control early by pinning Lin near the net while the Taiwanese player operated from the faster end, surging ahead post-interval to claim the opener. Switching sides disrupted his rhythm, however, as lifts sailed long and Lin capitalized on loose shots to level the match. In the decisive third
game, Sen grabbed a 4-0 lead, but Lin steadied with superior net play, then unleashed six straight points after the side change to lead 18-15. Sen clawed back to 18-all, yet Lin's aggressive finish sealed victory for the left-hander, who improved his head-to-head edge over Sen to 5-1.
Post-match, Sen credited Lin's adaptation to shifting wind conditions, stronger than the previous day, noting his own net errors and shaky lifts under pressure. Lin advances to face Canada's Victor Lai, the 2025 World Championships bronze medalist, who edged Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen 21-18, 17-21, 21-15. The other semifinal pits Singapore's Loh Kean Yew, who staged a comeback against Thailand's second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn (14-21, 21-15, 21-17), against Indonesia's third seed Jonatan Christie, a 21-19, 21-19 winner over France's Christo Popov.
In women's singles, Thailand's former champion Ratchanok Intanon cruised past USA's Beiwen Zhang 21-16, 21-12, while top seed An Se-young of Korea dominated Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-16, 21-8. The remaining semifinal features China's Wang Zhiyi versus Chen Yufei in an all-Chinese clash.
Quarterfinal Results
Men's Singles
3-Jonatan Christie (INA) def. 5-Christo Popov (FRA) 21-19, 21-19
8-Loh Kean Yew (SGP) def. 2-Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA) 14-21, 21-15, 21-17
Victor Lai (CAN) def. Chi Yu Jen (TPE) 21-18, 17-21, 21-15
Lin Chun-Yi (TPE) def. Lakshya Sen (IND) 17-21, 21-13, 21-18
Women's Singles
2-Wang Zhiyi (CHN) def. Natsuki Nidaira (JPN) 20-22, 21-13, 21-9
4-Chen Yufei (CHN) def. 5-Han Yue (CHN) 21-8, 21-18
1-An Se-young (KOR) def. 6-Putri Kusuma Wardani (INA) 21-16, 21-8
7-Ratchanok Intanon (THA) def. Beiwen Zhang (USA) 21-16, 21-12
