China Masters 2026: Lakshya Sen Bows Out In Straight Sets; Kidambi Srikanth Advances To Pre-Quarters

New Delhi, September 2: Lakshya Sen's lean patch in the BWF circuit continues as he ended yet another tournament in the Round of 32. After going down against Garret Tan, Sen went down against Victor Lai from Canada in straight sets in the round of 32, losing 14-21, 7-21 in Shenzhen. The second set in particular was a one-sided affair as Lai raced ahead of Sen.

The defeat extends the head-to-head record between Lai and Sen, where the Canadian leads the Indian 3-1 in 2026. Lai has also got the better of him at the Thomas Cup and in the round of 16 of the China Open in July, avenging his loss in their first meeting, a gruelling three-game All England Open semifinal in March that Sen won 21-16, 18-21, 21-15.

Lakshya was originally slated to face Alex Lanier, but the Frenchman, who recently won the BWF World Championship, withdrew from the competition.

Kidambi Srikanth Enters Pre-Quarters

But it was not a completely gloomy day for the Indian shuttlers. Kidambi Srikanth beat Chi Yu-jen 21-16, 21-15 to sail into the round of 16. Yu-jen, who won his first BWF title at the Syed Modi International in 2023, had knocked Srikanth out in the first round of that tournament.

However, this time Srikanth emerged on top, securing a convincing win in the opening game before maintaining his composure to close out the second game and seal the victory.

In mixed doubles, the Indian duo of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto produced an equally impressive performance in the round of 32, dispatching Thailand's Tonkid Saeheng and Tonrug Saeheng 21-8, 21-9.

Later in the day, five more Indians are scheduled to take the court. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai Xing, while Tanvi Sharma is set to meet Denmark's Amalie Schulz.