All England Open 2025: Lakshya Sen, Treesa-Gayatri enter quarter-finals

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen delivered a commanding performance at the All England Championships, defeating world No. 2 Jonatan Christie in straight games to advance to the quarterfinals.

This victory was particularly sweet for Lakshya, as defending champion Christie had eliminated him in the semifinals of the same tournament last year.

The Indian shuttler also narrowed his head-to-head record against Christie to 3-4, proving his progress against one of the world’s top-ranked players.

Lakshya’s statement win

Lakshya dominated the match from the start, using his aggressive gameplay and sharp net control to put Christie under pressure. The third-seeded Indonesian managed to level the first game at 12-12, but Lakshya shifted gears, winning nine of the next ten points to take the opener.

In the second game, Lakshya's relentless attacking approach left Christie struggling to find answers, as the Indian wrapped up the match in just 36 minutes.

With this win, Lakshya remains India’s last hope in the tournament, following the exits of PV Sindhu and Malvika Bansod in women’s singles.

Satwik-Chirag retire due to injury

India’s top men’s doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, were forced to retire midway through their second-round match against China’s Xie Haonan and Zeng Weihan.

The Indian duo lost the opening game 16-22 and were level at 2-2 in the second when Chirag began struggling with severe back pain, forcing them to withdraw. This unfortunate setback ended India’s challenge in the men’s doubles category.

Malvika Bansod bow out

India’s women’s singles campaign also came to an end as Malvika Bansod lost to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in straight games. The world No. 3 and two-time world champion dominated the match, winning 21-16, 21-13 in just 33 minutes to extend her head-to-head lead over Malvika to 4-0.

Malvika started strong and was competitive until 13-15 in the first game, but Yamaguchi’s superior shot placement and court coverage proved too much. In the second game, Malvika tried to fight back but couldn’t sustain her momentum as the Japanese star closed out the match with ease.

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also crashed out of the tournament, suffering a second-round exit in what has been a disappointing season so far.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the next round, defeating Hye Kim and Hee Kong (15-21, 21-18, 21-18).