Lakshya Sen looks to break into top-8 of BWF world rankings

Lakshya Sen wants to register big points at the upcoming major tournaments to return to the top 8 of the BWF world rankings.

The 21-year-old, who claimed a maiden bronze at the World Championships in 2021, will look to secure another medal for India as the 2023 BWF World Championships begin in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 21. Following that, he will head into the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

“I would want myself to be in world top 8 soon and then the aim would be to be in top 5 as the Olympic qualification ends. The priority is to win big tournaments and the ranking will take care of itself,” Lakshya told PTI.

Speaking on the Asian Games, he said, “It is a really big event and it comes once in four years, so it is a special one. I have played such big events twice in my career. I played in the Youth Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, so meeting all the players and watching different sports is a big learning experience for me. I’m looking forward to doing well in the Asian Games but, as of now, the first priority is the World Championships."

Lakshya Sen was on seventh heaven last year, having won the Commonwealth Games gold medal. But his ranking tumbled since last year's World Championships in August 2022, as he slipped from 6th to 25th.

He has turned his fortune around in the last two months, having gone on a title-winning run in Canada in July and two semifinal finishes at the US Open and Japan Open.

He is currently world No. 11, the second highest ranked Indian in men's singles after the 9th-ranked HS Prannoy.