All England Open 2025: Indian Challenge Ends After Lakshya Sen & Treesa-Gayatri Pair Lose in Quarter-Finals

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Indian challenge in All England Open Badminton Championships 2025 ended on Friday (March 14) after singles star Lakshya Sen as well as doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost their respective quarter-final matches in Birmingham, England.

The 23-year-old Sen suffered a straight-game loss to Chinese sixth seed Li Shi Feng in the men's singles last four contest at the Utilita Arena Birmingham. The 2022 finalist, who had narrowly lost a Paris Olympic medal last year, was outplayed 10-21, 16-21 in a 45-minute contest.

Sen, ranked world No. 15, had won his last two matches against Li, including at the Thomas Cup. But on the day, he struggled against his familiar Chinese opponent from the junior class of 2018.

Feng stamped his authority early, winning the first game in just 17 minutes. The 25-year-old Chinese shuttler played composed badminton, avoiding unnecessary risks. A powerful smash gave him a 9-4 lead, and he entered the break with a solid 11-4 advantage.

Sen's unsuccessful review left him trailing 4-12, but he briefly upped his attack, reducing the gap to 7-12 with a sharp cross-court smash. However, Feng adjusted quickly, mixing up his pace and tactics effectively, racing to 21-10 in the opening stanza.

In the second game, Sen showed signs of improvement, but Feng remained dominant, sealing the issue in 27 minutes. Sen trailed 2-5 but clawed back with better net play, edging ahead 10-8 after a gruelling 37-shot rally.

The Indian shuttler took a slender three-point lead at the break and kept pace in a tight battle, with a marathon 44-shot exchange locking it at 14-all. However, the tall Feng upped his aggression, moving ahead 17-15 with a powerful smash.

At 15-18, Sen suffered some finger bruises, spilling blood on the court and requiring medical attention and the court had to be cleaned. The brief stoppage, however, did little to halt Feng's momentum, as he powered through with another thundering smash to close out the match.

Later, Treesa-Gayatri duo also suffered similar fate as the pair went down in straight games against second seeds from China, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, in a lopsided contest that lasted 46 minutes.

The Indian pair, who were looking to seal their third semi-final at the BWF Super 1000 tournament in Birmingham, lost to the superiorly ranked Chinese pair by a scoreline of 14-21, 10-21, ending India's challenge in the 2025 All England Open. Here is a look at Indian shuttlers' result from Friday:

All England Open 2025 Results - Indian shuttlers matches on March 14

• Men's Singles: Lakshya Sen lost to Li Shifeng (China) - 10-21, 16-21
• Women's Doubles: Treesa Jolly & Gayathri Gopichand lost to Liu Shengshu & Tan Ning (China) - 14-21, 10-21

Earlier on Thursday (March 13), Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty pulled out in men's doubles after an injury, Malvika Bansod exited in women's singles, and the mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also fell short.

In the first two days of the competition, top singles shuttlers PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy suffered first round exits in their respective category, while Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa also crashed out early in the badminton tournament.