Badminton World championships: Ayush, Sindhu have it easy; lacklustre Lakshya suffers a shock defeat
Indian badminton players P.V. Sindhu and Ayush Shetty advanced to the next round of the World Championships with comfortable victories. However, Lakshya Sen suffered a surprising second-round defeat against American player Garret Tan.
Why it matters
The results impact the standings and expectations for Indian athletes in a major international sporting event.
When Garret Tan took a medical timeout leading 17-16 in the decider, it looked like Lakshya Sen would finally get the stroke of luck he so desperately needed.
Instead, the 18-year-old American of Taiwanese descent would jump, smash and punch his way to the biggest win of his career so far. He packed off the home favourite 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in an hour and 13 minutes in the second round of the badminton World championships here on Wednesday.
Having scraped through his opening-round match, Lakshya, ranked 14th and a bronze medallist at the global tournament, was expected to have an easy outing against the World No. 92 Tan.
But, on a day Ayush Shetty had an easier time than in his sparring sessions and P.V. Sindhu broke little sweat to reach the pre-quarterfinals, Lakshya floundered against an opponent who did not allow him any space or momentum.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in