Synopsis
Lakshya Sen's journey at the All-England badminton championship 2025 came to an end in the quarterfinals after a loss to China's Li Shifeng. Despite a strong previous performance, Sen struggled with consistency against the Asian Games gold medallist. The defeat marked the conclusion of India's singles campaign, with hopes resting on the women's doubles team.Key Takeaways
- Lakshya Sen lost to Li Shifeng in the quarterfinals.
- Sen showcased a strong performance against Jonatan Christie in the previous round.
- The match ended with scores of 10-21, 16-21.
- India's hopes remain with the women's doubles team.
- Malvika Bansod also exited in the pre-quarterfinals.
New Delhi, March 14 (NationPress) India's Lakshya Sen faced elimination in the quarterfinals of the All-England badminton championship 2025, suffering a straight games defeat to Li Shifeng of China, the 2022 Asian Games gold medallist, in Birmingham, England, on Friday.
The 23-year-old Indian star, who had delivered an impressive performance in the previous round against defending champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, found it challenging to maintain that level against Feng, losing 10-21, 16-21 in a match that lasted 45 minutes. Ranked No. 15 globally, Sen encountered the formidable Li Shifeng, who demonstrated exceptional control and aggression from the outset.
The initial game was dominantly controlled by Shifeng, who quickly established a lead and finished the opener with a score of 21-10 after a streak of nine consecutive points.
In the second game, Sen showed signs of improvement, momentarily leading 11-9 at the interval. His enhanced shot placement and net play put some pressure on Shifeng, but the Chinese player regained his composure swiftly.
Utilizing a combination of precise smashes and cunning drops, Shifeng turned the tide back in his favor, concluding the match by winning the second game 21-16.
This defeat signified the end of India's singles campaign in Birmingham, with the country's aspirations now resting on the women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who were scheduled to compete in their quarterfinal later that day.
Sen's exit was particularly disheartening given his dominant showing in the previous round, where he triumphed over reigning champion Jonatan Christie in straight games (21-13, 21-10). His remarkable control and aggressive tactics had raised hopes for a deeper progression in the tournament.
However, against Shifeng, Sen struggled with consistency, allowing his opponent to control the pace for significant portions of the match. This marked Sen's second consecutive quarterfinal appearance at the All-England championship, as he had reached the same stage in 2024.
In the women's singles category, Malvika Bansod exited in the pre-quarterfinals after a straight-game defeat to two-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. Ranked World No. 3, Yamaguchi easily dominated Malvika 21-16, 21-13 in merely 33 minutes, extending her unbeaten record against Indian players to 4-0.
Meanwhile, India's leading men's doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, also faced an unfortunate exit from the competition.
The seventh-seeded pair was forced to concede their pre-quarterfinal match against China's Hao Nan Xie and Wei Han Zeng midway, with the Indian team trailing 16-21, 2-2. The withdrawal was necessitated by Chirag's recurring back injury, which flared up during the match, hindering their ability to continue.
