New Delhi, Jan 13 (NationPress) Former champion Lakshya Sen and the top women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand commenced their India Open 2026 journey with an impressive display, while notable players such as Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei, Kodai Naraoka of Japan, and French sixth seed Alex Lanier faced early exits on the inaugural day of this BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament, hosted by the Badminton Association of India in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Sen took just 36 minutes to secure a convincing victory over his academy-mate Shetty, winning 21-12, 21-15. Meanwhile, Treesa and Gayatri, who were victorious at the Syed Modi International, triumphed over Thailand's Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai with a score of 21-15, 21-11 at the Indira Gandhi multi-purpose indoor stadium.

Earlier in the day, Canada's Brian Yang eliminated Chou with a score of 21-19, 21-11, while Chi Yu Jen from Chinese Taipei upset Lanier 21-17, 21-19. Naraoka retired from his match against compatriot Kenta Nishimoto, trailing 6-21, 5-7.

This year's India Open 2026 featured a much larger venue, drawing attention to the all-Indian showdown between Sen and Shetty. The 24-year-old Indian Oil Corporation employee quickly gained momentum, establishing a 7-1 lead in the first game and dominating the net play, not allowing Shetty to find his footing.

Shetty began to gain traction towards the end of the first game, scoring six consecutive points to reduce the deficit from 6-17 to 12-17, but it wasn't enough.

In the second game, Shetty started strong with a 5-1 lead, but Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medalist, utilized his powerful smashes to force Shetty into submission, ultimately winning the match with ease.

“The first match in any tournament is crucial, and I found the conditions somewhat challenging. We anticipated slow conditions due to the size of the hall, but the shuttle was moving swiftly. It was also quite cold, so I was pleased with my warm-up prior to the match,” said Sen, who is now set to face Nishimoto in the next round.

Before Sen took the court, Treesa and Gayatri set the tone for the host nation with an authoritative performance. The world No. 21 Indian duo faced little pressure during their 42-minute match against the Thai pair.

Next, they will square off against the seventh seeds, Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min of China, who defeated Francesca Corbett and Jennnie Gai from the USA with a score of 21-12, 21-8.

Additionally, the men's doubles team of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun also advanced to the second round, overcoming the Malaysian duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-15, 21-18. They will next encounter the fourth seeds, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang from China.

In women's doubles, Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam, who were finalists at the National Championships, managed to save five match points but ultimately lost 21-11, 20-22, 24-22 in a match against Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan from Hong Kong, China.

Facing the World No. 31 Hong Kong pair, Shruti and Priya fought back from a game down, saving a match point in the second game to force a decider. In the final game, they adopted an all-attack strategy to save four match points and even earned one themselves.

However, a fortunate net chord helped the Hong Kong duo save that match point, and subsequent errors by the Indians resulted in their elimination in the opening round.

Former World Champion PV Sindhu, along with men's singles stars Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, will commence their campaigns on Wednesday. Third seeds in men's doubles, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, progressed without playing after Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith from the USA withdrew.

Key Results:

Men's Singles: Lakshya Sen bt Ayush Shetty 21-12, 21-15; Chi Yu-Jen (Tpe) bt 6-Alex Lanier (Fra) 21-17, 21-19; Brian Yang (Can) bt 4-Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) 21-19, 21-11; Victor Lai (Can) bt Toma Junior Popov (Fra) 21-12, 16-21, 21-8

Women's Singles: 7-Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt Riko Gunji (Jpn) 21-19, 21-15; 6-Putri Kusuma Wardani (Ina) bt Michelle Li (Can) 21-12, 20-22, 21-15

Men's Doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan/MR Arjun bt Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi (Mas) 21-15, 21-18; Christo Popov/Toma Junior Popov (Fra) bt Choong Hon Jian/Haikal Muhammad (Mal) 21-11, 21-19

Women's Doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand bt Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn/Sukitta Suwachai (Tha) 21-15, 21-11; Lui Lok Lok/Tsang Hiu Yan (Hkg) bt Shruti Mishra/Priya Konjengbam 21-11, 20-22, 24-22

Mixed Doubles: Hiroki Midorikawa/Nami Matsuyama (Jpn) bt Dhruv Rawat/K Maneesha 21-9, 21-10.