Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 20: India’s Lakshya Sen suffered a surprise second-round exit at the BWF World Championships in Delhi after going down to world No 92 Garret Tan of the USA in a three-game thriller on Wednesday.
The 14th-seeded Indian, who had staged a strong comeback in his opening-round match, was beaten 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 by the 18-year-old American.
Sen started the contest positively but found himself under constant pressure as Tan attacked effectively from the backcourt. The two players remained closely matched in the opening game, with Sen eventually taking it 21-19.
Tan, however, responded strongly in the second game. He built an early lead and forced Sen into several errors, particularly with his judgement and line calls. Although the Indian saved four game points, Tan sealed the game 21-19 with an angled smash.
The American teenager carried his momentum into the decider, racing to a 7-2 lead and later extending it to 11-4 at the interval. Sen then launched a determined fightback, using his counter-attacking ability to reduce the deficit to 17-15.
The home crowd rallied behind the Indian as the intensity increased, but Tan remained composed despite the pressure. Even after receiving medical attention following a fall, the American returned to the court and held his nerve during the closing stages.
Tan eventually produced another angled smash winner to complete one of the biggest victories of his young career.
Speaking after the match, Sen admitted that he was constantly playing catch-up and struggled to deal with the pressure.
“I was always playing the covering-up game. I still had my chances but eventually he was taking those points, and I was under pressure and always trying to play the catch-up game,” Sen said.
He added that both players were exhausted by the third game but felt he had given everything he could.
The defeat will be a disappointing result for Sen, particularly after the strong support he received from the home crowd in Delhi. His focus now turns towards upcoming tournaments as he looks to regain consistency and strengthen the mental side of his game ahead of the Asian Games.