India Open Badminton 2026 Wrap: Lakshya Sen Enters Quarter-Finals As Indian Contingent Falters

Lakshya Sen was the lone bright spot for the hosts in Day 3 of the India Open 2026 Super 750 after advancing to the quarter-finals with a tactical display to beat Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto on Thursday.

In contrast, India suffered multiple setbacks as Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, and the top-ranked men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out despite spirited performances at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Lakshya Sen Reaches Quarter-Finals

Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, displayed patience and awareness to overcome Nishimoto 21-19, 21-11 in the second round, keeping India’s singles hopes alive.

The 24-year-old from Almora admitted he had to recalibrate early in the match. Struggling initially with rhythm and depth, Sen found himself trailing 11-16 at the mid-game interval of the opening game. Down 14-18, he responded by extending rallies and forcing errors, reeling off five straight points to seal the game.

In the second game, Sen raised the tempo decisively. By varying pace, deploying sharp half-smashes and well-disguised drops, he denied Nishimoto any chance to settle. With his defence holding firm, Sen wrapped up the contest in 50 minutes.

“At the start of the opening game, I was struggling with my rhythm a bit and was lifting short, which allowed him to attack,” Sen said after the match. “Once I started lifting longer and focused on defence, things changed. In the second game, I mixed the speed and didn’t allow him to play his game.”

Sen will next face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei, who defeated Nhat Nguyen of Ireland 21-16, 21-17.

Disappointments For Srikanth, Prannoy

India’s hopes of a deeper singles presence suffered earlier in the day. Kidambi Srikanth fought hard but went down 21-14, 17-21, 21-17 to France’s Christo Popov, the reigning World Tour Finals champion.

HS Prannoy also pushed his opponent before losing a three-game battle 18-21, 21-19, 21-14 to eighth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.

In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod was eliminated after a straight-games defeat, losing 18-21, 15-21 to China’s fifth seed Han Yue.

Heartbreak For Satwik-Chirag

India’s biggest blow came in men’s doubles, where tournament favourites Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exited following a dramatic 27-25, 21-23, 19-21 loss to world No. 22 Japanese pair Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita in the second round.

The Indian duo started strongly, leading 11-6 at the mid-game interval of the opening game before being pegged back to 17-17. They eventually held their nerve to take the first game.

In the second game, Satwik and Chirag trailed 8-11 after the change of ends. They fought back to force a 21-21 situation, but the Japanese pair showed greater composure to level the match.

The decider turned on a contentious moment at 15-15 when Satwik was faulted for allegedly touching the net. Both Satwik and Chirag protested and sought clarification, but the chair umpire ruled the decision was discretionary, with no video referral available. The Indian pair eventually went down when Chirag’s return failed to clear the net.

“I was told I touched the net, but I honestly didn’t feel anything,” Satwik said. “I was quite far from the post, and it was a crucial point. Once the decision was made, there was nothing we could do.”

“It definitely affects you because it was such a key moment. Not saying it was our point for sure, but it had an impact,” Chirag added.

Satwik also pointed to the disruption in match rhythm, saying the long gap between matches made it difficult to find consistency. However, he credited the Japanese pair for playing solidly throughout.

India’s challenge in women’s doubles also came to an end as Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were edged out in an 84-minute thriller, losing 22-20, 22-24, 21-23 to China’s seventh-seeded duo Li Yijing and Luo Xumin.

(With PTI Inputs)