Last Updated:
Lakshya Sen suffers shock loss to Garret Tan at World Championships, ending podium hopes. Tan advances to face Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Garret Tan stunned Lakshya Sen at World Championships (Picture credit: BAI Media)
2021 World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen admitted he was playing catch-up against the United States’ Garret Tan, as the 25-year-old suffered a shock loss to the world No. 92, ending his hopes of a podium finish at the home World Championships.
This was the first meeting between the two shuttlers. Lakshya entered the World Championships after a Round of 16 exit at last month’s China Open Super 1000, having not competed in any other tournament since.
Tan’s path to the World Championships was different. He featured in the Taipei Open qualifiers late last month but couldn’t make the main draw. He then reached the semifinals of both the Crowne Plaza Saipan International and the Brazil International Challenge.
Those were Tan’s best results this year, as compared to a runner-up finish from Lakshya at the All England.
“He (Tan) was quite dominant throughout the match. I was always playing catch-up and trying to cover the deficit. I had my chances, but he kept taking those crucial points,” Lakshya said while speaking to the media after the match.
“I found myself under pressure for most of the match and was constantly trying to close the gap,” Lakshya added.
While the 25-year-old admitted the 73-minute battle was demanding, the match also appeared to take a mental toll. Lakshya’s body language dipped after Tan opened up an 11-4 lead at the mid-game interval of the decider.
After the match, Lakshya didn’t immediately walk up to the media, but took some time behind-the-scenes and came back later to interact.
“It was a good match and I have to give a lot of credit to my opponent. He played a very solid game. By the third set, both of us were exhausted, but I felt I gave it my all. Unfortunately, it just was not enough to win the match, so I am a little disappointed,” Lakshya said.
But where does Tan go from here? The 18-year-old travelled from the US to Taiwan for a two-week training stint ahead of the World Championships before flying to India for the tournament.
Now, Tan has bagged a victory over the home favourite in men’s singles and next takes on second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, another shuttler he hasn’t ever played.
“Thank you for the match @senlakshya. These are just the first couple of steps; tomorrow will be even tougher. Let’s get it,” Tan wrote in his Instagram post.
A hashtag followed: #readytowin. He probably was; Lakshya wasn’t.
While Lakshya’s loss was the one that would hurt Indian fans the most, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun also suffered a straight-games defeat, while Unnati Hooda endured a heartbreaking exit.
Unnati, 18 as well, took the opening game 21-11 against 13th seed Michelle Li but surrendered the second 9-21. The decider went down to the wire, with Unnati pushing it to 21-22 before the Canadian held her nerve to clinch the crucial point and the match.
As painful as those losses were for the hosts, the challenge only gets more difficult from here. Of the five matches featuring Indian shuttlers on Day 4 on Wednesday, four will be against higher-ranked opponents.
India can now hope for the best and some surprises in the following days.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18The provided information does not indicate whether Garret Tan could win the World Championships, only that he advanced to face Kunlavut Vitidsarn after defeating Lakshya Sen.
Ask News18August 19, 2026, 22:42 IST
Read More
