All-England Open: Lakshya and Treesa-Gayatri bow out in quarterfinals

India's journey at the prestigious All England Open 2025 came to an end as both Lakshya Sen in singles and the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand exited in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Lakshya fell to sixth-seeded Chinese shuttler Li Shi Feng, while Treesa and Gayatri had no answers to the attacking dominance of world No. 2 duo Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.

Lakshya loses the tactical battle

Lakshya had a tough outing against Li Shi Feng, struggling to counter the Chinese player's tactical brilliance. He went down in straight games, 10-21, 16-21.

In the opening game, Lakshya struggled with the drift, leading to high returns that sailed beyond the backline. Li took full advantage, forcing long rallies and increasing the pressure on the Indian shuttler.

After comfortably winning the first game, Li switched tactics in the second. Instead of engaging in long rallies, he kept the shuttle close to the net and executed sharp drop shots, neutralizing any drift advantage Lakshya had after the change of ends.

This strategic shift helped Li secure a straight-game victory, ending Lakshya's strong run in the tournament.

The "Liu-Tan show'

In women's doubles, Treesa and Gayatri also suffered a quarterfinal exit, losing in straight games (14-21, 10-21) to Paris Olympic medalists Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.

The Indian duo started well, with Gayatri impressing at the net to give them an early lead. However, the Chinese pair made a strong comeback before the mid-game interval and took control with their solid defense, clinching the first game 21-14.

The second game was a showcase of sheer attacking dominance by Liu and Tan, who unleashed relentless smashes, leaving the young Indian pair with no room for a comeback.

With these losses, India's challenge at the All England Open 2025 came to a close.