Lakshya Sen produced an impressive display to defeat China’s Li Shi Feng in the men’s singles quarterfinals of the All England Open Badminton Championships and book a place in the semifinals.
Lakshya dominated the contest, brushing past Li in straight games 21-13, 21-16 in 45 minutes.
The 24-year-old was clinical in the first game, racing into an early lead and never letting it slip as he closed it out with six consecutive points.
The second game proved more competitive, with both shuttlers exchanging the lead several times before the Indian produced a burst of points to take an unassailable advantage.
Lakshya, who also reached the semifinals here in 2024, is now the only Indian left in the fray. He had earlier stunned world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the opening round.
He will face Canada’s world No. 16 Victor Lai in the semifinals.
The other Indian players were knocked out earlier in the week. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the first round, while Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda also bowed out in the opening round of women’s singles.
Two-time Olympian P.V. Sindhu had withdrawn from the tournament after failing to reach Birmingham in time due to travel disruptions in the Middle East, while the mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila retired from their match on Thursday.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published on Mar 06, 2026
