All England: Sen Topples Top Seed Shi
Defending champion Shi Yu Qi suffered his earliest loss in nearly three years, with Lakshya Sen delivering an outstanding performance in the first round of YONEX All England 2026.
· BWF STAFF
Not since the Thailand Open in May 2023 had Shi failed to cross the first round; on Tuesday the world No.1 – finalist at his last six events – ran into an inspired Sen, who managed to put the final pieces of the puzzle together after falling in four previous matches to the Chinese.
The world No.12 stayed the course despite losing a close second game, and came away winner in 78 minutes, 23-21 19-21 21-17.
“I’m feeling really good and happy with the way I played today,” said Sen. “I’ve been in the same situation a couple of times, in really close matches and lost. I’m happy with the way I pulled it out in the end and kept my patience.”