Lakshya Sen loses, India’s All England Open campaign ends

Lakshya Sen's hopes of clinching the All England Open Badminton 2025 title came to a crushing end on Friday, March 14. The 2022 finalist suffered a straight-game defeat-10-21, 16-21 in the quarter-final against higher-ranked Li Shi Feng of China in Birmingham. Lakshya struggled to find the rhythm he had displayed in his victory over defending champion Jonathan Christie on Wednesday, falling in a one-sided contest that lasted just 35 minutes.

Lakshya, who reached the final of the prestigious Super 1000 tournament in 2022, made a strong statement on Thursday by decimating title holder Christie in dominant fashion. Heading into the quarter-final against familiar foe Li, Lakshya had the advantage of fresher legs, as the Chinese star had been stretched to three games in both of his previous rounds.

The match began with Lakshya looking the sharper of the two players. He led 4-3 before Li Shi Feng flipped the switch and took complete control. The World No. 6 Chinese star remained composed, refusing to rush his rallies. Li defended superbly, denying Lakshya opportunities to go for his winners. Frustration was evident on the Indian's face as errors crept into his game, particularly when he attempted to find the backline.

Li Shi Feng balanced aggression and caution effectively, finding winners at will in the opening game. Lakshya struggled to counter Li's dominance at the net, as the Chinese shuttler executed his front-court play to near perfection.

Lakshya had a taped cut on his fingers during Friday's match. In fact, play was briefly halted late in the second game when Li had four match points due to blood on the court. Returning to play, Lakshya fought to extend the contest, but Li wasted no time in converting his first match point to seal his place in the semi-finals.

It was Li's fifth win over Lakshya in 12 meetings. The Indian shuttler will be disappointed at having missed out on the opportunity to outclass his familiar rival and secure a second consecutive semi-final appearance.

With Lakshya's exit, India's singles campaign at the All England Open came to an end as early as the third round. Earlier, HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu bowed out in the first round, while rising star Malavika Bansod was eliminated in the second round by the experienced Akane Yamaguchi.

There was further disappointment in men's doubles, as former World No. 1 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty withdrew from the second round on Thursday following an injury to Chirag.