India’s challenge at the China Open 2026 ended on Thursday after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty lost in the men’s singles Round of 16 in Changzhou, China. Their exits, along with: PV SindhuThe earlier defeat by, brought down the curtain on India’s campaign in the BWF Super 1000 tournament.
Lakshya Sen squandered the first game lead
Lakshya Sen bowed out after a back-to-back loss to Canada’s eighth seed Victor Lai, losing 19-21, 11-21. The Indian held a 15-9 lead in the opening game but was unable to capitalize as Lai produced a stunning comeback to steal the opener before dominating the second game to seal his place in the quarter-finals.
Ayush Shetty suffered a heartbreaking loss
Youngster Ayush Shetty came close to reaching the last eight before losing 21-15, 13-21, 20-22 to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. After taking the opening game, Shetty found himself in a strong position at 19-15 in the deciding game. However, Nguyen mounted a stunning comeback, winning seven of the last eight points to grab the win and eliminate the Indian shuttler.
PV Sindhu will also exit in the round of 16
Earlier in the day, PV Sindhu was knocked out after a spirited three-game battle against home favorite Chen Yufei. The two-time Olympic medalist lost 16-21, 22-20, 18-21, ending India’s hopes in the women’s singles competition.The focus shifted to the Taipei Open and Home world championshipsWith the China Open campaign over, the Indian contingent will now turn their attention to the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open, which is scheduled to start on July 28. The bigger target, however, is the BWF World Championships 2026, which will be held in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, where India will look to deliver a strong performance on home soil.