Confident Lakshya tames friend Ayush in Ist round

There was a certain sense of confidence that Lakshya Sen exuded on Day 1 of the $950,000 BWF India Open here on Tuesday.

- Sandip Sikdar

The way he stepped on to the court at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the way he struck the shuttle and the way in which he successfully challenged the umpire’s decisions showed that India’s No.1 men’s singles player had total conviction in what he was doing

But not without reason. After struggling for most of 2025, the 24-year-old came into his own in the second half of the year by reaching the semis of Japan Open and the final of Hong Kong Open before ending his title drought in November when he won the Australian Open in Sydney.

The world No.14 has carried that momentum into the New Year which was clearly visible in his game in the first round of the Super 750 tournament. Up against friend and academy mate Ayush Shetty — someone who knows his game inside out Lakshya didn’t let his rival settle down, attacking his compatriot from the word go to race to a 7-1 lead.