New Delhi, Jan 15 (NationPress) Former champion Lakshya Sen showcased remarkable defensive skills and speed to overcome Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, while Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy fell short in their second-round matches at the India Open 2026 held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.

Sen dispatched Nishimoto with scores of 21-19, 21-11, securing his place in the quarterfinals, whereas Srikanth was defeated 21-14, 17-21, 21-17 by Christo Popov from France, the BWF World Tour Finals champion. Prannoy also faced defeat against eighth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, losing 18-21, 21-19, 21-14.

In the women’s bracket of this BWF World Tour Super 750 event, India’s hopes were dashed when the fifth-seeded Chinese player Han Yue triumphed over Malvika Bansod with scores of 21-18, 21-15.

Sen had a challenging start against Nishimoto, struggling to find his rhythm and trailing 11-16 in the first game, and 14-18 thereafter. However, he engaged Nishimoto in lengthy rallies and executed impressive defensive strokes to recover.

By winning five consecutive points, he took the lead and concluded the first game on his first opportunity. In the second game, Sen was more decisive, varying his pace and seizing opportunities to dominate. His confidence grew as he mixed half smashes with clever drops, ultimately securing his quarterfinal spot in 50 minutes.

“Initially, I was struggling with my rhythm and lifting short, which allowed him to attack. But I began lifting longer and emphasized strong defense, which turned the tide in the first game,” Sen reflected. He will next compete against Lin Chun-Yi from Chinese Taipei, who defeated Nhat Nguyen of Ireland 21-16, 21-17.

“In the second game, I understood I had to disrupt his game flow, so I varied my speed, and it worked,” he added.

In other matches, Prannoy secured the first game against Loh and nearly caused an upset, saving three game points in the second. However, once the former world champion pushed the match to a decider, he increased the game's pace, leaving Prannoy unable to adapt.

Earlier, Srikanth displayed moments of his attacking prowess against Popov, yet could not overcome the challenge posed by France’s first World Tour Finals men’s singles champion.

Key Results:

Men’s singles: Lakshya Sen bt Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) 21-19, 21-10; 5-Christo Popov (Fra) bt Kidambi Srikanth 21-14, 17-21, 21-17; 3-Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) 21-15, 21-19; 8-Loh Kean Yew (Sin) bt HS Prannoy 18-21, 21-19, 21-14; 2-Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Lu Guang Zu (Chn) 21-14, 21-16

Women’s singles: 1-AN Se Young (Kor) bt Huang Yu-Hsun (Tpe) 21-14, 21-9; 7-Ratchnok Intanon (Tha) bt Mia Blichfeldt (Den) 21-16, 21-11; 5-Han Yue (Chn) bt Malvika Bansod 21-18, 21-15; 4-Chen Yu Fei (Chn) bt Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) 21-11, 21-13; Natsuki Nidaira (Jpn) bt 8-Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) 21-19, 8-21, 21-16.