New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): Lakshya Sen produced a commanding comeback to lead India's charge on Day 2 of the BWF World Championships 2026, defeating Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon in three games at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.
Sen recovered from a slow start to beat Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4 in 45 minutes and advance from the men's singles Round of 64.
The Indian started cautiously in his first meeting against Filimon, with the Austrian holding a slender 11-10 advantage at half-time in the first game. Sen struggled to find his rhythm and committed a few errors as Filimon moved towards game point before closing out the opening game 21-16.
Sen, however, completely changed the complexion of the contest in the second game. After the two players were level at 6-6, the Indian began to take control of the rallies and opened up a substantial lead. He eventually wrapped up the game 21-8 to force a decider.
The 25-year-old then produced his best gameplay of the match. Sen raced to an 11-1 lead at the interval and left Filimon with little opportunity to fight his way back. The Indian closed out the decider 21-4 to seal his place in the next round.
In women's singles, Unnati Hooda also progressed after overcoming Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar 22-20, 21-16 in the opening round.
Hooda was made to work hard in the opening game as the two shuttlers remained close throughout. The Indian held her nerve in the closing stages to take it 22-20 before gaining greater control in the second game and completing the victory in straight games.
India also enjoyed success in women's doubles, with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advancing to the Round of 16 after defeating American pair Lauren Lam and Allison Lee 21-15, 21-12.
The Indian duo, ranked 39th in the world, maintained control in both games and did not allow the Americans to build sustained pressure. Treesa and Gayatri stepped up their attacking play after taking the first game 21-15 and comfortably closed out the second 21-12.
However, India's other women's doubles pair, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, saw their campaign end in the Round of 32. The Indians were beaten 7-21, 14-21 by Bulgarian sisters Stefani Stoeva and Gabriela Stoeva.
Kavipriya and Simran had advanced after edging Spain's Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez 22-20, 21-14 in their opening match on Monday, but struggled to match the experienced Bulgarian pair in the next round.
India's mixed doubles campaign also suffered two defeats.
Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, last-minute reserve entrants, were involved in one of the day's most dramatic contests but eventually lost 16-21, 30-29, and 24-22 to Turkiye's Emre Sonmez and Yesemen Bektas.
The second game produced a rare Golden Point, with the Indians taking it 30-29 after the scores were locked at 29-29. The contest remained tight in the decider, but Surya and Amrutha could not convert their opportunities and went down 22-24.
Their appearance was particularly significant as they had left a state championship midway to take up the opportunity to compete at the World Championships in Delhi. The match also featured one of the final instances of the traditional scoring system reaching 30, with badminton set to move to a 15-point format from next season.
Ruthvika Gadde and Rohan Kapoor also bowed out after a hard-fought three-game defeat to Canada's Crystal Lai and Jonathan Lai. The Indian pair won the opening game 22-20 but could not maintain the momentum, losing the next two 19-21, 17-21.
India had enjoyed a perfect opening day at the World Championships, with all five entries winning their respective Round of 64 matches.
The biggest result came from Ayush Shetty, who stunned top seed and defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China 21-14, 13-21, 21-19 in men's singles. Five-time world medallist PV Sindhu also began her campaign with a comfortable 21-7, 21-11 victory over Ireland's Sophia Noble.
Treesa-Gayatri, Kavipriya-Simran and MR Arjun-Hariharan Amsakarunan also progressed in doubles on the opening day.
The 2026 World Championships are being held in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, marking the tournament's return to India for the first time since 2009. With Sen, Hooda and Treesa-Gayatri progressing on Tuesday, the hosts will hope to maintain their momentum as the competition moves deeper into the knockout stages. (ANI)
BWF World Championships 2026: Lakshya Sen, Unnati Hooda lead India's charge as Treesa-Gayatri advance on Day 2
