Lakshya Sen falls to Li Shi Feng in All England Open quarterfinals, ends India’s singles campaign

Lakshya Sen's campaign at the 2025 All England Open Badminton Championships came to a halt in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 14, as he was defeated in straight games by world No. 6 Li Shi Feng of China. The Indian shuttler, who had reached the final in 2022, lost 10-21, 16-21 in a one-sided match that lasted just 45 minutes. This marked an end to India’s singles campaign at the prestigious tournament, with earlier exits from HS Prannoy, PV Sindhu, and Malvika Bansod.

Sen, ranked No. 15 in the world, entered the match with a strong performance in the previous round, where he defeated defending champion Jonatan Christie. However, against Li, Sen struggled to find his rhythm. The first game saw Li take control from the outset, with a 9-4 lead and an 11-4 advantage at the break. Despite Sen’s attempts to recover, including a brief surge to reduce the gap to 7-12, Li’s consistency and tactical play made it difficult for the Indian to gain momentum.

Li, playing with composure and mixing his shots well, capitalized on unforced errors from Sen. The Indian shuttler’s review of a line call failed, further extending the deficit to 4-12. Li, not rushing his rallies, continued to dominate the game, and despite Sen’s efforts, the Chinese player wrapped up the first game in 17 minutes.

In the second game, Sen displayed more resilience and composure. He fought back from an early deficit of 2-5 and managed to take a 10-8 lead after a long 37-shot rally. At the mid-game interval, he maintained a slender three-point advantage. However, Li once again displayed his ability to control the pace of the game, keeping pressure on Sen, who struggled to maintain consistency. A 44-shot rally at 14-all showcased both players’ tenacity but Li’s aggressive play eventually prevailed.

The match took a brief pause when Sen suffered a finger injury, causing blood to spill on the court. The break didn’t disrupt Li’s momentum, and the Chinese player quickly resumed control, winning the match on his first match point after a powerful smash. With this victory, Li advanced to the semifinals, where he will face the winner between top seed Shi Yu Qi and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew.

Sen’s exit followed a tough start to his 2025 season, where he had already faced early exits in the Malaysia Open and India Open. Despite his loss, Sen’s performance at this year’s All England Open demonstrated significant progress, particularly after his dominant win over Christie. However, with the end of India’s singles campaign, focus shifted to other events where the Indian contingent had also been eliminated, including mixed doubles and men’s doubles events.