Lakshya Sen’s campaign at the 2026 BWF World Championships came to an unexpected end on Wednesday as unseeded American Garret Tan rallied from a game down to beat the 14th-seeded Indian 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 in the men’s singles round of 32 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
In a contest in which Sen repeatedly fought his way back from sizeable deficits, Tan found the decisive tactical adjustment late in the third game. The American said he realised Sen had begun anticipating his attacks to one side and changed direction at the crucial stage.
“I think in the third set, I kept on hitting to one side, and he kept on preparing. In the last couple of points, I just changed direction, and it worked,” Tan said after sealing one of the biggest wins of his young career.
Sen took the opening game but was forced to play catch-up for much of the contest thereafter. He mounted late recoveries in both the second and deciding games, only for Tan to hold his nerve when the pressure was at its highest.
“I think it was a good match. I would give a lot of credit to my opponent; he played a very solid game,” Sen said after the defeat.
“Towards the third set, both of us were completely exhausted. I think I gave it my all in the end, but it was just not enough to win this match, and I am a little bit disappointed.”
Sen edges tight opening game
Sen once again endured a slow start but recovered to take a closely fought opening game 21-19.
There was little to separate the two shuttlers as the game progressed, with Tan’s attacking play repeatedly putting the Indian under pressure. Sen, however, stayed in touch and found the points he needed at the business end to move a game ahead.
The pattern continued in the second game, with Sen falling 0-4 behind before opening his account through a well-worked point at the net.
Any hopes of quickly wiping out the deficit were checked by Tan, who restored his advantage and moved 6-3 ahead. Sen gradually reduced the gap, but the American continued to stay in front and went into the mid-game interval with an 11-8 advantage.
Tan remained the more assured player after the break, keeping Sen under pressure with his attack and forcing the Indian to repeatedly chase the score.
“I would say he was quite dominant throughout the match. I mean, I was always playing the catch-up game,” Sen said.
“I still had my chances. I was always covering up the scores, but again, eventually he was taking those points. I was playing a lot of times under pressure and always trying to play the catch-up game.”
Late fightback falls short in second game
With Tan moving 19-14 ahead, Sen was staring at the prospect of conceding the game without much resistance. The American subsequently reached 20-15 and earned five game points, only for Sen to finally find some momentum.
Backed by the home crowd, the Indian saved four consecutive game points to close the gap to 19-20. Tan, however, stopped the comeback at the final hurdle and closed out the game 21-19 to force a decider.
The frustration was evident as Sen threw his racquet away in disgust after conceding the game.
The crowd, which had grown increasingly vocal during Sen’s late charge, fell quiet as the Indian returned to court for the deciding game.
Tan, meanwhile, said he had entered the match without dwelling too much on the reputation of his opponent.
Asked whether he had watched extensive footage of Sen before the match, the American said: “No, not really. I just wanted to go in and play my best. I didn’t want to really think too much.”
For Tan, who said this was his first World Championships, the victory carried added significance.
“I’m feeling pretty okay, and I’m super happy about this win,” he said.
Tan takes control of decider
Sen again found himself on the back foot early in the third game.
Tan opened up an 8-2 advantage as Sen struggled for consistency, with a series of wayward smashes and errors allowing the American to take control. Tan mixed his attack well and punished short lifts, while Sen was unable to impose himself consistently at the net.
The American extended the lead to 11-4 at the interval, leaving Sen with a sizeable deficit to overturn and his World Championships campaign under serious threat.
That was when Sen produced his best spell of the game.
From 4-12 down, the Indian reeled off six consecutive points. A combination of sharper net play, aggressive smashes and errors from Tan brought Sen back to 10-12 and revived the home crowd.
Tan responded before Sen could draw level, stretching his advantage again to 15-10 before the Indian launched another recovery.
A long rally with Sen trailing 11-16 ended with the Indian finding the opening for a decisive smash. Tan, though, immediately responded with a well-placed attacking shot to move 17-12 ahead.
Sen refused to go away.
He won three consecutive points to close to 15-17, with the last of those coming after another extended rally in which Sen opened up the court before placing his smash beyond Tan’s reach.
Tan then required medical attention before returning to the court.
The American later explained that he had hurt himself while attempting a slide.
“I went for the slide, and then I hit my head a little bit and wasn’t feeling really well, because that happened in my previous match a couple of weeks ago, and the same thing happened,” Tan said.
On the resumption, Sen immediately reduced the deficit to a single point at 16-17, raising hopes of another comeback.
But it was at this stage that Tan made the tactical change that ultimately decided the contest. Having repeatedly attacked one side, he switched direction as Sen began preparing for the familiar pattern.
The change worked.
Tan won the next three points to move to 20-16 and earn four match points. Sen saved the first, but there was to be no final escape as the American took the next point to seal the deciding game 21-17.
As Tan celebrated, Sen was left to reflect on a contest in which he spent much of the evening trying to recover from deficits.
Sen felt the playing conditions had not handed either player a significant advantage.
“Both the sides were pretty even today. All three games were 21-19, 21-19 and 21-17, so I don’t think there was a clear advantage on any side today,” he said.
“The rallies were long. I think, compared to the other days, the drift was not playing such a big role. You can see the scorelines; it was even.”
Lakshya Sen vs Garret Tan at Badminton World Championships 2026
Tan, however, suggested the drift had influenced some of his shot selection during the match, while his ability to stay solid in attack and defence left Sen searching for openings.
“The strategies were the same because he was quite solid in his attack and also in his defence, so I was not getting many chances,” Sen said.
By the end, fatigue had also begun to tell on both players.
“The match was quite tough, and I was completely exhausted towards the third set,” Sen said. “It was a very tough match.”
For Tan, the final few points came down to recognising what Sen was anticipating and doing something different — a small tactical switch that brought an abrupt end to the Indian’s home World Championships campaign.
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