Birmingham, March 7: India's top-ranked men's singles player, Lakshya Sen, continued his impressive run at the All England Open 2026, defeating the sixth seed and former champion, Li Shi Feng, in straight games to reach the semifinals on Friday night.
Sen, who was a finalist at the 2022 All England Open, defeated Li 21-13, 21-16 in just over an hour, setting up a quarterfinal clash against Canada's Victor Lai, who had defeated Japan's Koki Watanabe 18-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the other quarterfinal.
The 24-year-old Sen, the only Indian remaining in the competition, had begun his campaign with a surprising victory over the top seed and defending champion, Shi Yu Qi, and then defeated the experienced NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong in the second round.
Sen was clearly confident going into the quarterfinal against Li, whom he had faced seven times before, with a 7-7 record.
Sen adopted an aggressive approach and took a 10-4 lead in the first game before Li narrowed the gap to 15-13. However, Sen responded by winning six consecutive points to win the game.
The second game was a close affair, with Li starting strongly and even taking a one-point lead before the mid-game interval.
However, Sen won four consecutive points from 14-13 to take the lead and then ensured that Li had no chance of a comeback to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Later, speaking about the match, Sen said he was focused on avoiding mistakes in the long rallies, as both players were getting tired. "There were many long rallies, and I was getting tired. But the coach told me that he was also getting tired, and I just made sure that I didn't make any mistakes," he said.
Sen also refused to focus on the title and said his focus would be on recovering well before the semifinals and "taking it one match at a time."
