Birmingham, March 6: Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen has secured his spot in the quarterfinals of the All England Open 2026. He achieved this by defeating Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long in the pre-quarterfinal match. Earlier, Lakshya pulled off a significant upset by defeating defending champion Shi Yuqi in the first round.
The 24-year-old Indian player triumphed over Long Angus with a score of 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 after a grueling match that lasted one hour and 21 minutes. This victory marks Lakshya’s first win against Angus, having previously lost to the Hong Kong player in three encounters, including a defeat at the 2023 Malaysia Masters. The 2022 All England finalist started aggressively against his opponent, maintaining his lead throughout the opening game. Although Long managed to equalize the score at 19-19 by winning three consecutive points, Lakshya clinched the game by securing the next two points.
At one point, it seemed Lakshya would easily win the second game as he led 11-4. However, Angus made a remarkable comeback. The experienced player saved three match points when trailing 17-20 and then saved another point at 20-21, ultimately taking the game to a decisive third set.
Lakshya commented, “Both games were solid. Credit goes to Angus for his strong comeback in the second game. I didn’t play well towards the end of the second game and gave away too many easy shots. I was ready to give my all in the third game, and I’m quite happy with how I played.”
Despite Angus’s efforts to stage a comeback, including saving a match point at 20-9, the gap was too significant for him to close. Lakshya added, “I believe my tactics were right in both games, but I lost focus in the final points. It’s crucial to forget the first two games and concentrate on the third, sticking to the plan that was working.”
As the only Indian player remaining in singles, Lakshya will face the winner of the match between China’s sixth seed Li Shifeng and Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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