Lakshya Sen upset top seed, world no 1 and the defending champion Shi Yu Qi to advance at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026. (PHOTO: Badminton Photo)
Belting smashes that generated power from his forearm and catapult-wrist, Lakshya Sen caused a furore at the All England, defeating China’s World No. 1, Shi Yuqi, 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in Birmingham on Tuesday.
Beating Yuqi, the reigning world title holder and defending champion, Sen emulated his former coach Prakash Padukone, who had taken out the incumbent Liem Swi King of Indonesia in 1978. But it was in how Sen flummoxed the Chinese master of deception, Yuqi, with his own elastic wrists, generating disguises both ways, that his biggest win (yet) will be remembered.
The 78-minute match was a lot about the physicality in retrieving and sticking in there. But it was mostly about the fearlessness to finish from an advantageous position, something that Sen had not managed on the biggest stages yet, costing him medals.
“I’ve been in the same situation a couple of times and lost, but I pulled out this one in the end. It used to be just a matter of last few points. The only thing I prepared for before this tournament was the closing stages, working on how patient I am against him. If I had rushed, he had experience of finishing off close games,” Sen would tell BWF, adding that his ‘underdog tag’ helped.
Sen used the net judiciously to earn himself a bunch of lifts, but it was the sustained pressure he created from hard-hit smashes that unsettled and finally stubbed out the World No. 1. The Indian, ranked 12th in the world, has made finals at the All England in 2022 and semis in 2024. Every alternate year, Sen seems to crank it up at Birmingham, where he was crowned Commonwealth Games champion in 2022.
But what was mighty impressive in this first round match was his pincer envelopment of Yuqi, with that elbow-snappy smash that Sen has devised to protect his shoulder. The timing of the wrist-snap is very important to generate and guide the power, and Sen, jumping at times, hopping at others, managed down the lines and body smashes at crucial points to rattle Yuqi. In a big hall like the Utilita Arena, he caught the Chinese off guard by turning his wrist both ways to send down flat hits that went deep and pushed Yuqi on the back foot.
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Having lost plenty of big matches because he couldn’t close them out, Sen finally seemed to have the confidence of a weapon he could unleash. But he also refused to rush, or get rushed, on clutch points. Having started well too, he bookended a middle 19-21 set with two where he messed with Yuqi’s composure and turned things around.
Lakshya Sen upset top seed, world no 1 and the defending champion Shi Yu Qi to advance at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026. (PHOTO: Badminton Photo)
With a 16-10 lead, with sustained pressure on the Chinese, Sen had allowed the world champion a sniff as Shi Yuqi made it 18-17 in the opener. But it was that cloying aggression, combined with relentless defense, that showed in the next point when Yuqi sent his serve out, giving the Indian a 19-17 lead. The Chinese ace prolonged the rallies, and Sen dived to his right, got up, scrambled to the back for a back-to-the-net return, but was staring at a 20-20 situation as Yuqi levelled.
These had been all too familiar, but Sen wasn’t prepared to give up yet. He prevailed in a long exchange and then the snappy criss-crosses did it for him as he went up 22-21. Sen would finally convert the fifth set point to take the lead, and wreak havoc with the Chinese mind.
While Yuqi pushed a decider, winning the second, Sen snuck in four needling points at the back end, to remind the Chinese he wasn’t going away. Deploying a doubles style of fast criss-crosses at the net, Sen kept up the pressure in the decider, going up from 11-9 to 16-13. Then the jump smashes, much like Lee Chong Wei, got singeing. Yuqi sensed a chance at 15-18 after throwing everything at the Indian, but his shot selection remained baffling, mostly because Sen never allowed him any rhythm.
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Having induced enough anxiety in the tentative Chinese, he didn’t allow Yuqi to push the pace like he does to get out of these situations. The body language of the tired Chinese was a giveaway, as Sen wrapped up the decider 21-17. Yuqi has a complete game, but landing up at Birmingham after being away from the circuit since January, he ran into an early storm, dreaded by most opponents.
The catapult smash has always been in Sen’s armoury, but he has begun deploying it at crucial moments and imparting sorcery on it that is hard to read. The Indian in turn read the Chinese deceptions well. “He was timing the smash well and that made a huge impact. Shi was not expecting really hard smashes from Lakshya today,” coach Vimal Kumar said.
The coach lauded his ward on staying very calm and composed. He added: “Right from the start, he made Shi work hard for every single point, and eventually the Chinese player began to tire. Overall, it was a very confidence-boosting win. Lakshya’s Holi gift for Indian Badminton today.”
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.
Professional Profile
Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.
Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.
Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)
Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:
Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.
PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.
The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.
Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.
Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.
Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)
The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)
Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)
Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)
Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)
Other Sports Interests
Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.
You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
Lakshya Sen upset top seed, world no 1 and the defending champion Shi Yu Qi to advance at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2026. (PHOTO: Badminton Photo)