'I had my chances but...': Lakshya Sen on losing to no.1 ranked Shi Yuqi in closely-fought 1st round of World Championships

India's star shuttler Lakshya Sen fought well but lost patience in key moments as he suffered a 21-17, 21-19 defeat to World No.1 Shi Yugi at BWF World Championships 2025 on August 2026. In the opening round of the tournament, the 24-year-old was knocked out in a matter of 54 minutes despite producing moments of brilliance in long rallies.

After the game, the youngster admitted that the urgency to pick up pace led to him not being able to force a decider.

“I had my chances but I was playing catch up. In the second especially it was close. I had to be patient most of the time but in the closing stages I tried to up the pace. I could’ve done better,” he told BWF after his first round exit.

Last year, Sen came close to winning a medal at the Paris Olympics, but he lost the match from an advantageous position, finishing fourth.

“Tough memories from last year so coming into the stadium I had some doubts. But I was there to win,” Sen said.

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Shi continues dominating run against Sen

This was Sen's fourth defeat to Shi. He has been able to get better of the Chinese opponent only once.

Sen fails to capitalise key moments

The opening round featured long rallies, including a 52-shot rally. The game was dangling between the two shuttlers but Sen was not able to get through Shi's defense.

In the second game, Sen started well. But once again, Shi dominated with a mix of deft touches, half-smashes and lightning-fast down-the-line smashes. Sen made a comeback and there was a controversial moment as well. But, unforced errors led to Shi taking the game away from Sen.

Shi’s winning march continues

Shi continued his red-hot form. Since January 2024, he has won all nine finals he has appeared in.