Lakshya Sen kept India’s hopes alive at the All England Open. He stunned China’s Li Shi Feng with a straight-game win.
The victory sent him into the semifinals in Birmingham.
Match Highlights
World No. 12 Lakshya Sen defeated world No. 6 Li Shi Feng 21-13, 21-16. The men’s singles quarterfinal lasted one hour. It was held at Utilita Arena Birmingham on Friday (March 6, 2026).
Lakshya took control in the first game, establishing a solid lead before Li tried to make a comeback halfway through.
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However, Lakshya Sen raised the intensity of his attack to seal the game comfortably.
The second game turned out to be a tighter match, with both players exchanging points during the early stages.
Lakshya maintained a slight edge at the mid-game break. He then surged ahead in the closing moments. This helped him seal the victory comfortably.
The win also served as sweet revenge. Lakshya had lost to Li Shi Feng in the 2025 quarterfinals. He now leads the head-to-head 8–7 after 15 matches.
Earlier, he shocked the world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the first round.
Next up, he will take on Canada’s world No. 16 Victor Lai in the semifinals.
Other Indians In Action
The other Indian players were eliminated earlier in the week.
India faced setbacks in other events. The men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the first round. Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda also exited early in women’s singles.
Two-time Olympian PV Sindhu withdrew from the tournament. She could not reach Birmingham on time due to travel issues in West Asia. Meanwhile, the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila retired from their match on Thursday.
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