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The Adidas Arena in Paris, the same venue where Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen endured a heartbreaking fourth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics, evoked mixed emotions. A year ago, Sen had showcased sublime form, pushing Viktor Axelsen in the Olympic semifinals and Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal playoff, only to falter at critical moments. However, Returning to Paris for the World Championships, Sen aimed to rewrite his narrative but faced a formidable challenge in Shi Yu Qi, the reigning All-England champion and a dominant force on the BWF World Tour.
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen’s hopes of a deep run at the BWF World Championships 2025 were dashed in the opening round as he succumbed to a 17-21, 19-21 defeat against world No. 1 and top-seed Shi Yu Qi of China on Monday, August 25, 2025. Despite a valiant effort marked by long rallies and flashes of his attacking brilliance, the 24-year-old, ranked 21st globally, could not overcome Shi’s rock-solid defense and explosive finishing in a match that lasted 54 minutes. The loss marked Sen’s fourth defeat in five meetings against the in-form Chinese player, who has won all nine finals he contested in 2024, including three BWF World Tour Super 1000 titles.
Lakshya Sen’s achievements in 2025
Lakshya Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships in Huelva, entered the match with a 1-3 head-to-head record against Shi after their most recent encounter at the Indonesia Open 2025 going the distance. Despite his semi-final run at the Macau Open earlier this month, Sen’s 2025 season has been inconsistent, with only a quarterfinal finish at the All England and a title at the Syed Modi International (Super 300). The Paris draw, announced on August 13, pitted him against the top seed, setting the stage for a daunting opener.
With Lakshya Sen’s exit, India’s men’s singles hopes now rest on H.S. Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze medalist, faces Finland’s Joakim Oldorff in the first round on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. In women’s singles, PV Sindhu will begin her campaign against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova.
In doubles, India’s top men’s pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded ninth, received a first-round bye and will face either compatriots Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruben Kumar or Chinese Taipei’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han in the second round. The women’s doubles pair of Rutuparna and Swetaparna Panda suffered a 12-21, 11-21 loss to Bulgaria’s Stoeva sisters, while Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra will face France’s Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante.
