New Delhi, August 19, 2026: India’s Lakshya Sen suffered a major upset at the Badminton World Championships, losing to USA’s world No. 92 Garret Tan in a thrilling second-round encounter in New Delhi.
The 18-year-old American, a former junior world No. 1 and All England Junior Championships bronze medallist, defeated the Indian shuttler 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a 73-minute contest.
Lakshya made a strong start and edged a closely fought opening game. The Indian recovered from an 18-18 tie to take a two-point lead and eventually converted his game point to go ahead.
Tan responded brilliantly in the second game. He raced to an early 4-0 lead and maintained control with accurate lifts, drops and powerful straight and cross-court smashes. Although Lakshya fought back from 15-20 to 19-20, Tan held his nerve to level the match.
The deciding game saw both players produce high-quality rallies, but Tan established a commanding 8-2 lead and went into the interval at 11-4. Lakshya, backed by a vocal home crowd, staged another comeback by winning six straight points to reduce the deficit to 10-12.
However, Tan regained momentum and moved ahead 17-12. Lakshya saved a game point but could not complete another comeback as Tan sealed victory on his next opportunity.
The defeat ends Lakshya’s campaign at the World Championships, while Tan advances after one of the tournament’s notable upsets.
