India’s Lakshya Sen (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Lakshya Sen delivered a gritty performance to book his place in the final of the All England Open Badminton Championships, becoming only the second Indian shuttler to reach the title clash twice after defeating Canada’s Victor Lai in a demanding semifinal on Saturday. The 24 year old, who had previously reached the final in 2022, battled both a determined opponent and painful blisters on his right toe to seal a 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 victory in a contest that lasted one hour and 37 minutes. Sen’s achievement puts him in rare company alongside his mentor Prakash Padukone. The legendary Indian had reached the final in 1980 and 1981, famously winning the title in his first appearance in the championship match. Saturday’s semifinal turned into a test of stamina and resilience for both players. Sen and Lai were involved in several exhausting rallies, some stretching beyond 50 shots, as neither competitor was willing to give ground. The opening game remained closely contested until the score stood at 17-16 in Sen’s favour. The Indian then shifted gears, reeling off four consecutive points to take the first game. Lai responded strongly in the second game. The Canadian, who holds the distinction of being the first player from Canada to win a medal at the BWF World Championships, moved ahead 11-7 at the mid game interval and maintained his advantage despite Sen drawing level at 16-16 while dealing with blisters. Lai eventually forced the match into a deciding game. In the final game, Sen’s experience began to show. Mixing patience with calculated attacking shots, he built a healthy 15-9 lead. Lai continued to fight back and reduced the deficit to 17-15, but Sen finished strongly, claiming four points in a row to seal his place in the final. In the championship match, Sen will face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei. The left handed shuttler, who recently won the India Open, advanced to the final after defeating Thailand’s second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 in a semifinal that lasted one hour and 18 minutes.

Lakshya Sen (PTI Photo/Nand Kumar)

Lakshya Sen showed grit and stamina to beat China’s Shi Yu Qi in a thrilling three-game battle on Tuesday, winning 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 at the All England Open Badminton Championships. It was his first victory over the former world No. 1 in a BWF World Tour event, and it didn’t come easy.The match was intense from start to finish, with long rallies and both players pushing each other to the limit. Lakshya started strongly, taking control of the first game with sharp smashes and quick net play. Although he nearly let it slip after leading comfortably, he held his nerve in a tense finish to take the opener.Coach Vimal praised his performance, saying, “Lakshya was very calm and composed today. Right from the start, he made Shi work hard for every single point, and eventually the Chinese player began to tire.”Even when Shi fought back to win the second game, Lakshya didn’t lose focus.“At one stage in the second game, I felt Lakshya was getting a bit fatigued, but he recovered well and raised his level. His attacking play was excellent too,” he added. “Overall, it was a very confidence boosting win.”The deciding game was again tight, but Lakshya’s speed, defence and smart shot selection made the difference. He stayed aggressive, forced errors from Shi, and closed out the match when the Chinese player hit long on match point.In other matches, Malvika Bansod lost to China’s Chen Yu Fei in straight games. However, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto secured a straight-game win over Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin.

India’s two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu is all but out of the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 in Birmingham without even playing a single match. She will most likely pull out of the tournament after being stranded in Dubai due to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.

The tournament is set to begin on Tuesday, but
Sindhu has been stuck in Dubai since Saturday following Iran’s attacks on several countries in the Middle East. The attacks came in response of the US-Israel bombing of Iran. This has resulted in closure of airspace across parts of the Gulf region.

Flights have been suspended in the region, which has led to major travel disruptions for people who use the United Arab Emirates as a transit point. The Dubai International Airport, where Sindhu was initially stuck with her team, was also hit during the attacks.

Sindhu’s Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama even had a narrow escape after an explosion occurred near his area. They were later shifted to a safer location with the help of Dubai authorities and the Indian High Commission. Now, it appears that Sindhu will have to pull out of the tournament as the date of the competition nears.

The Indian star was scheduled to face Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the opening round. However, the Dubai airport and airspace are still closed and she is expected to withdraw from the All England Open. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is also monitoring the situation.

“The BWF and Badminton England are closely monitoring the travel challenges arising from the ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East. We remain in regular contact with teams and players whose journeys to Birmingham for the All England Open 2026 may be affected. The safety and wellbeing of all athletes, officials and support personnel remain our highest priority,” a statement read.

Other participants reach safely

While Sindhu’s participation remains uncertain, some of her fellow shuttlers have managed to reach Birmingham via alternate routes of Singapore and Africa. However, it remains to be seen how the long and taxing travel will impact their preparations.

India’s top men’s singles contender Lakshya Sen and rising youngster Ayush Shetty, have reached without any travel issues. While Lakshya has drawn world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China, Ayush is up against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the opening round.

For Lakshya, a former semifinalist and runner-up here, it will be another tough test against Shi, against whom he has lost four of his five previous meetings against the Chinese.

Ayush, the US Open Super 300 champion, will look to turn the tide against Farhan, having lost three of their five encounters, including the most recent one at the Indonesia Masters in January.

In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod faces a stiff opening challenge against Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei of China.

Unnati Hooda, whose flight was cancelled on Sunday forcing her to travel via Africa, will need to overcome jet lag when she takes on Thailand’s eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in her opener.

In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, a former world No. 1, will spearhead India’s challenge against Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai in the first round.

The women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who registered back-to-back semifinal finishes at the event in 2022 and 2023, will face Japan’s Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto.

In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are up against Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will meet fifth seeds Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue of France.

Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have won the All England title. Besides them, only Saina Nehwal (2015 runner-up) and Lakshya (2022 runner-up) have come close in recent years.

(With agency inputs)