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It was another disappointing outing for Lakshya Sen, but Kidambi Srikanth, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have progressed to the next round.
This is Lakshya Sen’s third defeat to Victor Lai. (PTI Photo)
In another early setback, Lakshya Sen endured a first-round defeat at the China Masters on Wednesday, losing in straight games to Canada’s Victor Lai. However, Kidambi Srikanth moved into the second round with a comfortable victory.
Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze-medallist, was unable to match Lai’s consistency, going down 14-21, 7-21 in 38 minutes.
The Canadian, ranked World No. 9, had claimed his second World Championships bronze medal last month.
The defeat was Sen’s third against Lai. His only victory over the Canadian came at the All England Championships in March this year.
Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver-medallist, made a winning start in men’s singles, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen 21-16, 21-15.
India also advanced in mixed doubles, with Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto dispatching Thailand’s Tonnakorn Saeheng and Tonnicha Saeheng 21-8, 21-9.
For Sen, the result extends a difficult spell that began with his early exit from the World Championships on home soil.
Against Lai, Sen started brightly, racing to a 4-0 lead in the opening game. The Canadian quickly turned the momentum around, however, using his resolute defence to disrupt Sen’s rhythm. The Indian struggled to contain his errors, particularly on attempts directed towards Lai’s backhand sideline, as the Canadian took control and closed out the game.
The second game followed a similar pattern. With Lai repeatedly absorbing pressure and forcing errors, Sen’s frustration mounted. He fell 4-11 behind after the change of ends and was unable to produce a comeback, allowing Lai to finish the match with little trouble.
Among the other Indians in action later on Wednesday are men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with women’s singles players Tanvi Sharma and Devika Sihag.
With PTI Inputs
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Ask News18Other Indian players competing in the China Masters include Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, who advanced in mixed doubles. Additionally, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with women’s singles players Tanvi Sharma and Devika Sihag, were scheduled to compete later in the day. Earlier in the tournament, Unnati Hooda, Hariharan Amsakarunan, and M R Arjun also competed but were eliminated in the opening round.
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Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
September 02, 2026, 11:55 IST
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