New Delhi: An 18-year-old American shuttler silenced a packed Indira Gandhi Arena on Wednesday, stunning home favourite Lakshya Sen at the 2026 BWF World Championships. In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, world-ranked No. 92 Garret Tan defeated the former bronze medallist in a three-game, 73-minute-long tense battle, 21-19, 19-21, 21-17, in the round of 32. When on match point, Lakshya’s diving retrieval presented Tan with an easy net kill; most of the crowd hoped he would miss it, and he almost did. But the luck was with the debutant, and the shuttle landed just inside the line, sealing the biggest win of his career as he marched on to R16, ending Lakshya’s medal hopes. Tan couldn’t believe what he had just done and dropped down to his knees with his head in his hands, while an exhausted Lakshya lay on the court in disbelief. “I’m super happy with the win. It’s my first World Championships, and defeating such a big player means a lot,” said a jubilant Garret post his historic win. …