New Delhi: Lakshya Sen’s run at the India Open 2026 came to an end on Friday after the Indian shuttler lost a hard-fought men’s singles quarterfinal to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi. Lin prevailed 17-21, 21-13, 21-18, bringing down the curtain on India’s challenge at the Super 750 tournament in New Delhi.
Sen began brightly, showing control and intent to pocket the opening game 21-17. He matched Lin rally for rally early on, drawing level at 7-7 before edging ahead 11-9 at the interval. A marathon 54-shot exchange at 17-11 underlined Sen’s defensive grit, and the Indian converted five game points to take a deserved lead.
The contest swung after the change of ends. With the drift inside the arena becoming a factor, Sen struggled to find his length and fell behind 5-11 at the interval. Although he staged a brief recovery, Lin maintained pressure to claim the second game 21-13 and force a decider.
Back on his preferred side, Sen surged to a 4-0 start in the final game, but Lin reeled him in with sharp cross-court smashes to level at 9-9. Sen held a slender edge at the interval and moved ahead 15-12 after the final change of ends, but the momentum shifted again as Lin upped the attack to make it 15-15.
At 18-16 down, Sen produced a spectacular behind-the-back shot and then a body smash to draw level at 18-18, raising hopes of a comeback. Lin, however, responded with a strong return to earn match points, and the match ended when Sen slipped during a tense rally, allowing Lin to finish at the net.
The defeat marked Sen’s fourth loss in as many meetings against Lin and confirmed his opponent’s growing edge in the rivalry, while India’s hopes at the home tournament ended with the quarterfinal exit.
Source: ESPN
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