World No. 92 Garret Tan Silences Roaring Delhi With Stunning Lakshya Sen Upset At BWF World Championships

The silence was almost as striking as the roar that had come before it.

Lakshya Sen lay flat on the court, exhausted, as Garret Tan let out a huge roar at the other end. The 18-year-old American punched the air, dropped to his knees and soaked in the moment as the packed Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium fell eerily quiet.

The world No. 92 had just beaten India's home favourite.

Tan produced a fearless and composed performance to defeat 14th-seeded Lakshya 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a 73-minute thriller, sending the Indian crashing out of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi.

It was not a victory handed to Tan by Lakshya. The American earned it with the quality of his badminton, repeatedly taking the initiative in rallies, punishing short lifts with powerful overhead and cross-court smashes and remaining calm every time the Indian mounted a fightback.

Tan had the bigger moments when they mattered most.

A former junior world No. 1 and bronze medallist at the All England Junior Championships, the 18-year-old showed remarkable composure against a player backed by a packed home crowd.

Wearing a pink headband, Tan celebrated wildly after the final point. Sitting courtside on the coach's chair throughout the match was his childhood coach, Paula Lynn Obanana, who has been by his side since the beginning, along with his teammate Lauren Lam. Tan's mother was also there as the 18-year-old made his way for medical attention after the exhausting contest.

For Lakshya, who had survived a scare against Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon in the opening round, it was a painful end to his home World Championships campaign.

Tan Makes Lakshya Work For Every Point

The American's attacking intent was clear from the opening rallies. Playing from the faster side in the first game, Tan repeatedly looked to put Lakshya under pressure with his overhead game. Whenever the Indian's lifts fell short, Tan pounced, generating considerable power on his straight and cross-court smashes.

The rallies remained tight as both players tried to dictate the pace. Tan moved 12-10 ahead before looking to bring Lakshya into net exchanges, but the Indian responded with tight drops of his own and forced Tan into errors. At 18-18, there was nothing to separate them before Lakshya found two points to move 20-18 ahead and earn game point. Tan saved one, but Lakshya held his nerve to close out the opener 21-19.

Tan had lost the game, but not the initiative.

Tan Hits Back

The American came out aggressively in the second game and immediately put Lakshya under pressure. He raced to a 4-0 lead as the Indian made a number of errors around the net. Tan then settled into the exchanges, dealing comfortably with Lakshya's lifts and drops while waiting for the opportunity to unleash his attack.

At 11-8, Tan was in control.

His lead eventually grew to 20-15, leaving Lakshya facing five game points. But the home favourite refused to go quietly. With the crowd roaring behind him, Lakshya reeled off four consecutive points to make it 19-20. The momentum had shifted and Tan suddenly had to find a way to close the game under intense pressure.

He did.

After a tense exchange around the net, Tan found the opening and finished with a smash to take the game 21-19.

One game all.

The Decider

The third game became a test of both players' legs and nerves. Tan started sharply once again, racing to an 8-2 lead before taking an 11-4 advantage into the interval. Lakshya looked in serious trouble, but the home crowd refused to let the Indian disappear.

Pushed forward by the Delhi crowd, Lakshya produced six consecutive points to cut Tan's advantage to 10-12. The arena erupted as the Indian clawed his way back into a contest that had looked to be slipping away.

Tan, however, refused to panic. The American continued to trust his attack and remained patient in the longer exchanges. He rebuilt his advantage to 17-12, keeping Lakshya chasing the score. The Indian fought until the end and saved one match point, but Tan had already done enough.

When the final point arrived, the American found the winner and immediately let out a roar.

Lakshya lay on the court.

The arena went silent.

Tan dropped to his knees.

'I Gave It My All'

Lakshya gave full credit to his opponent afterwards, admitting that Tan had played a very solid match.

"Yeah, I think it was a good match. I would give a lot of credit to my opponent. He played a very solid game. Towards the third set, both of us were completely exhausted. I gave it my all in the end, but it was just not enough to win this match. I'm a little disappointed," Lakshya said.

Asked whether an injury had affected him, Lakshya said there was no such issue. Tan, instead, had taken a medical break towards the end of the third game.

"No, I think he took a medical break towards the end of the third set," he said.

Lakshya was nevertheless physically drained after the contest, having made several dives during the long rallies.

"The match was quite tough and I was completely exhausted towards the third set. There were a lot of dives, so I scratched my legs. It was a very, very tough match overall," he said.

'I Was Always Playing The Catch-Up Game'

Lakshya felt Tan had been able to dictate the match for long periods, leaving him constantly trying to close the gap.

"I would say he was quite dominant throughout the match. I was always playing the catch-up game. I still had my chances, but eventually he was taking those points," Lakshya said. "I was playing a lot of times under pressure and always trying to play the catch-up game."

The Indian also felt neither side of the court offered a significant advantage, with the drift playing a smaller role than it had in his previous matches.

"I felt both sides were pretty even today. All three games were 21-19, 21-19 and 21-17, so I don't think there was a clear advantage on either side," he said. "The rallies were long. Compared to the other days, the drift was not playing such a big role because you can see the scorelines, it was even."

Against Tan's solidity in both attack and defence, Lakshya found it difficult to create the openings he needed.

"The strategy was the same because he was quite solid on his attack and also in his defence, so I was not getting much chances," he said. "Also, on the slightly slower end, you don't usually get your punch that much and you can't finish the shots very well."

For Lakshya, the home World Championships ended with disappointment.

For Tan, it ended with a roar.

And perhaps the most telling detail of the American's extraordinary night came before the match had even begun.

Tan had already booked his ticket back to the USA for Friday. After all, he was the world No. 92, making his debut at the World Championships.

Now, he has a problem.

"Guess we're going to see how that goes!" the 18-year-old said with a laugh after pulling off a massive upset over world No. 14 Lakshya Sen.

That Friday flight suddenly does not look quite so certain.

Tan had walked onto Court 1 as the underdog.

He walked off having silenced the entire arena, and perhaps changed his plans for the rest of the week.