All posts tagged: lakshya sen

Lakshya Sen can beat anybody in the world on his day: Pullela Gopichand

Lakshya Sen can beat anybody in the world on his day: Pullela Gopichand

Published by Webster

The draws for the 2026 BWF World Championships, which will be held in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, took place on Wednesday. After the draw, Pullela Gopichand shared his thoughts on India’s chances at the tournament. He spoke about Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and the return of the World Championships to India after 17 years. Lakshya Sen, who won a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships, will once again be one of India’s biggest hopes. Gopichand believes the Indian shuttler is now a more mature and experienced player, but admitted that the competition will not be easy. “Lakshya has had some good tournaments. He has won some big tournaments, but he has also missed out on a few big ones. Today, I would say Lakshya is much more mature. He has more experience on his side and has been able to win some big tournaments, but it will be tough,” he said. Despite that, Gopichand believes Lakshya has the ability to beat the world’s best players on his day. “Having said that, …

Ayush Shetty to start against world No 1; easier route for Sindhu

Ayush Shetty to start against world No 1; easier route for Sindhu

Published by Webster

India’s Ayush Shetty will be up against world No 1 Shi Yu Qi of China in the very first round of the 2026 BWF World Championships, starting later this month. This is the second straight edition of the Badminton World Championships, where an Indian shuttler goes up against Shi in the first round after Lakshya Sen’s run in into the Chinese shuttler last year. Sen, this time around, has a better draw to start off. Seeded 14th, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist will face off against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon in the first round. He, however, is likely to face Thailand’s former world champion and three-time medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Round of 16. Elsewhere in women’s singles, PV Sindhu is drawn in the same half as world No 1 An Se Young of South Korea but will not face her before the semi-finals. Sindhu will start against Ireland’s Sophia Noble before having a potential Round of 16 against China’s Wang Zhi Yi and a potential quarter-final against Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardini in what …

PV Sindhu seeded ninth, Satwik-Chirag fifth for BWF World Championships in Delhi

PV Sindhu seeded ninth, Satwik-Chirag fifth for BWF World Championships in Delhi

Published by Webster

PV Sindhu has been seeded ninth in the women’s singles event, while the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received the fifth seed for the 2026 BWF World Championships, set to be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23. India will field two entries in each of the five categories at the tournament, with at least one seeded player or pair in four of them. Apart from Sindhu and the former Asian Games champions Satwik and Chirag, Lakshya Sen has been seeded 14th in the men’s singles draw. The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will enter the championships as the 15th seeds. Shi Yuqi and An Se Young lead singles seedings Qualification for the World Championships was determined using the BWF world rankings published on April 28, while the tournament seedings were based on the rankings as of July 28. Reigning men’s singles world champion Shi Yuqi of China has been named the top seed, while South Korea’s An Se …

PV Sindhu goes down to Chen Yu Fei

PV Sindhu goes down to Chen Yu Fei

Published by Webster

India’s PV Sindhu crashed out in the women’s singles Round of 16 at the 2026 China Open Super 1000, going down to home favourite Chen Yu Fei in a contest which lasted 89 minutes on Thursday. Sindhu, who had beaten Chen during her title winning run at the Japan Open Super 750 last week after the latter withdrew midway with a hamstring injury, started from where she had left off last week. The Indian took the opening game 21-16 and then had four match points in the second to wrap up the contest in straight games. Sindhu, however, failed to take advantage as Chen won six points in a row to win the second game 22-20 and force a decider. The final game once again was a see saw battle with neither shuttlers leaving an inch but Chen, with fresher legs, had more gas left in the tank to win it 21-18 and knock the Indian out of contention. Earlier in the first round, Sindhu had beaten fellow Indian Unnati Hooda 21-14, 9-21, 21-10 on …

PV Sindhu looks to extend winning run – Preview, India squad, Where to Watch?

PV Sindhu looks to extend winning run – Preview, India squad, Where to Watch?

Published by Webster

Having won her career first Super 750 title at the 2026 Japan Open, India’s PV Sindhu will look to replicate the feat at the 2026 China Open Super 1000, starting in Jiangsu from Saturday. Joining Sindhu at the tournament to represent India will be India’s top shuttlers including Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and others. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, however, will be missing in action due to an injury picked up by former. The duo had also pulled out midway from their match at the 2026 Japan Open last week. The in form Sindhu will open her campaign at the China Open Super 1000 against fellow Indian Unnati Hooda in women’s singles. Also in contention in the discipline will be Devika Sihag, who’ll go up against Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand in the first round. In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen will face off against the fast rising Yushi Tanaka of Japan in the opening round, while Ayush Shetty will be up against a familiar opponent in Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. HS Prannoy will also …

What connects Messi, Mbappe and Bellingham to badminton’s biggest names | Badminton News

What connects Messi, Mbappe and Bellingham to badminton’s biggest names | Badminton News

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There’s a football spirit animal in each of the badminton stars – the clutch mentality, the tempesting temperament, the quick calculating brain and the twinkling feet. Here’s what happens when the two universes collide: Lionel Messi: Seo Seung-jae Smarts and multidimensional ability. Left-handed, Seo can conjure magic and acceleration from nothingness. From either flanks. Defensive work rate is far more than Messi’s, but both are terrifyingly capable of dominating entire tournaments. Erling Haaland – Anders Antonsen Resemblance isn’t incidental. Both come from Viking stock. They don’t look like they’ll be scoring anytime soon – and suddenly Haaland has two goals and Antonsen is in the finals, and winner of 11 titles. The goofiness masks the intensity and grit. ALSO READ | Sindhu wins Japan Open with scorching win over home contender Akane Yamaguchi Jude Bellingham – Chirag Shetty Intense personalities overwhelm the talent beneath, which is legit and tenacious. Always looking to improve, always boggled by their own popularity and deeply immersed in working on that last decimal percentage. Harsh self assessors. Harry Kane – Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Attacking instinct, …

Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty exit in first round

Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty exit in first round

Published by Webster

India’s men’s singles campaign at the Japan Open 2026 came to an early end after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty suffered first-round defeats at the BWF Super 750 tournament in Tokyo on Wednesday. World No. 14 Lakshya Sen lost 21-16, 21-14 to Japan’s Koki Watanabe in a match that lasted just 38 minutes. The Indian trailed at the mid-game interval in both games and was unable to recover, conceding his third defeat in seven meetings against the Japanese shuttler. Ayush Shetty put up a spirited fight against world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn but eventually went down 21-19, 23-25, 21-15 in a three-game contest. Ayush pushes world No. 2 before bowing out The opening game remained closely contested before Kunlavut edged ahead late to take the lead. Ayush responded strongly in the second game, saving four match points before winning 25-23 to force a decider. However, the momentum did not last as the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist regained control in the final game to complete the victory and improve his head-to-head record against the Indian …

PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag to headline India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games

PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag to headline India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games

Published by Webster

Two-time Asian Games medalist PV Sindhu and defending champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will headline a stacked Indian squad for the badminton event at the 2026 Asian Games. The 20th edition of the continental Games is set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) selection committee finalised the squad after reviewing recent performances across national and international tournaments, alongside BWF rankings as of May 26, 2026. Led by India’s top-ranked men’s singles player Lakshya Sen, the squad also features experienced H. S. Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth—all part of India’s historic men’s team silver-medal campaign at the previous edition. The men’s contingent retains much of the core that secured a bronze medal at the BWF Thomas Cup earlier this year. #News | Badminton Association of India (BAI) announces India’s squad for 2026 Asian Games Individual Event Men’s Singles (MS): Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty Women’s Singles (WS): PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda Men’s Doubles (MD): Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty; Hariharan… pic.twitter.com/7BQsySMxjF — The Bridge …

Sindhu, Arjun-Hariharan make Round 2 at Indonesia

Sindhu, Arjun-Hariharan make Round 2 at Indonesia

Published by Webster

2 min readUpdated: Jun 2, 2026 11:18 PM IST PV Sindhu took her dominance over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan to 21-1 head-to-head after advancing to Round 2 of the Indonesia Open Super 1000. The Indian who made Top 10 this week got into a bit of a muddle in the first set, but won 25-23, 21-16 to extend her sway over the retrieving Thai. However, she could immediately run into Korean World No 1 An Se-young, who has a 9-0 stranglehold over Sindhu. However, given that earlier is better in facing up to the dominant figure, Sindhu will try to make her good form work for her and make inroads into her game on Thursday. This was Sindhu’s 11th straight win over Busanan. Playing at the sport’s mightiest coliseum, the Istora Senayan, India’s No 2 men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan also registered a straight sets victory over Malaysia’s 2016 Olympic medalist Tan Wee Kiong and his current partner Nur Mohd Azriyn. Arjun-Hari hit the groove and managed a straight sets win over …

Former champions Satwik-Chirag to lead Indian challenge- Preview

Former champions Satwik-Chirag to lead Indian challenge- Preview

Published by Webster

India’s top shuttlers will be in action at the Indonesia Open, the third BWF Super 1000 tournament of 2026, scheduled to take place in Jakarta from June 2 to 7. Fresh from a title in Singapore, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lead the Indian contingent in this packed field. They will begin their competition on Wednesday against the Malaysian pair of Khai Xing Kang and Aaron Tai, whom they defeated in the quarter-finals last week. India will have the strongest representation in men’s singles with four shuttlers in action – Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and H.S. Prannoy. Meanwhile, the top Indian women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will return to the circuit after missing out for the last three months due to injury concerns. They will face the Indonesian pair of Febriana Kusuma and Meilysa Puspita Sari in the first round, against whom they hold a 0-2 head-to-head record. In the women’s singles, PV Sindhu has a tough draw, having a potential second-round clash …