Who is Garret Tan? The shutter who beat Lakshya Sen at 2026 BWF World C'ships

Lakshya Sen fell to an unexpected loss in the men's singles Round of 32 at the 2026 BWF World Championships in Delhi, going down 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 to Garret Tan on Wednesday.

It marked the end of the campaign in the global tournament for Sen, who was earmarked as one of the dark horses for the tournament in front of the home crowd.

Tan, a relatively unknown shuttler, produced the best match of his career to take down the 2021 BWF World Championships bronze medallist in an hour and 13 minutes.

"This is my first time watching Tan," the commentators quipped on air as he pushed Sen to the brink.

Who is Garret Tan?

Garret Tan is an American shuttler with roots from Chinese Taipei and Malaysia. He is currently just 18 years old.

He has had a steady rise within the American badminton circuit.

As early as 2023, at just 15 years old, Tan was already turning heads on the international junior circuit, competing at events like the Sydney International while ranked outside the world's top 300. He represented Team USA at the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships that same year, helping the American side finish a respectable 10th place finish.

He has since steadily risen through the ranks, climbing to Junior World No 1 ranking in men's singles in December last year.

In his early days, Tan's mother Victoria used to double up as his coach and manager, travelling along with him to tournaments.

Ranked 92 in the men's singles world rankings currently, Tan entered the 2026 BWF World Championships as a competitor nobody really took a note of. 

He is yet to compete in the main draw of a Super 300 tournament or higher in the BWF World Tour circuit, making his win over Sen in Delhi an even sweeter deal for Tan.

For the United States of America (USA), which has struggled to produce world class shuttlers, Tan's rise and his surprise win over Sen is a significant development.