Badminton Asia 2026: Lakhsya Sen exits early, Ayush Shetty stuns world No. 7

India’s top men’s singles player, Lakhsya Sen , suffered a disappointing start at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 on Wednesday, bowing out in the opening round. The All England Open runner-up and world No. 12 lost 21-12, 21-19 to world No. 22 Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong China .

After a lopsided first game, Lakhsya Sen showed resilience in the second, drawing level at 16-16 and again at 19-all, but ultimately faltered in the closing stages. Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth also exited early after a three-game loss to former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore , despite taking the first game 18-21, 21-9, 21-19.

In contrast, Ayush Shetty delivered a stunning performance by knocking out world No. 7 and fifth seed Li Shi Feng of China , the reigning Asian Games champion , 21-13, 21-16. Li Shi Feng started sharply, but Shetty, the US Open 2025 champion , gradually wrested control, drawing level at 7-all in the first game and dominating the latter stages. The second game saw Shetty equalise at 13-13 before executing a six-point streak to seal the match in 51 minutes. He will now face Chi Yu-jen of Chinese Taipei in the second round.

HS Prannoy , the world championships medallist , also progressed to the second round after defeating Nguyễn Hải Đăng of Vietnam 24-22, 21-12, joining Shetty as India’s mainstay in men’s singles.

In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu survived a scare to advance, rallying from a game down to beat Wong Ling Ching of Malaysia 15-21, 21-11, 21-19. Meanwhile, Malvika Bansod and Tanvi Sharma were eliminated in straight games in their respective first-round matches.

Day 2 of the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 saw a mix of early exits and stunning upsets for India. While Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth bowed out early, Ayush Shetty’s win over a top-10 player showcased the growing strength in Indian men’s singles. PV Sindhu’s resilience and HS Prannoy’s commanding performance ensured India remained in contention in both singles events.

In the matches, Ayush Shetty defeated Li Shi Feng (CHN) 21-13, 21-16, and HS Prannoy overcame Nguyễn Hải Đăng (VIE) 24-22, 21-12 to reach the next round. PV Sindhu rallied past Wong Ling Ching (MAS) 15-21, 21-11, 21-19. Meanwhile, Lakhsya Sen lost to Lee Cheuk Yiu (HKG) 21-12, 21-19, Malvika Bansod fell 21-10, 21-19 to Busanan Ongbamrungphan (THA), Kidambi Srikanth went down 18-21, 21-9, 21-19 against Loh Kean Yew (SGP), and Tanvi Sharma was defeated 21-19, 21-14 by Letshanaa Karupathevan (MAS).