China Masters 2026: Lakshya Sen exits; Srikanth, Anmol, Chaliha advance
Synopsis
Lakshya Sen's China Masters 2026 campaign is over before it began in earnest — Victor Lai, who has now beaten him three times this year, made it a routine 14-21, 7-21 dismissal. With Sen's home World Championships exit still fresh, this loss deepens questions about his form against the Canadian. The brighter story: Srikanth, Anmol Kharb, Chaliha, and Kapila-Crasto all advanced, keeping India's flag flying in Shenzhen.
Key Takeaways
Lakshya Sen lost to Canada's Victor Lai 14-21, 7-21 in the Round of 32 at the China Masters 2026 in Shenzhen .
Lai has now beaten Sen three times in 2026 — at the Thomas Cup, China Open Round of 16, and China Masters.
Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the Round of 16 with a 21-16, 21-15 win over Chi Yu-jen .
Anmol Kharb beat Liang Ka Wing 21-17, 21-9 ; Ashmita Chaliha defeated Pornpicha Choeikeewong 21-17, 23-21 .
Saneeth Dayanand upset third seed Dong Tian Yao in three games; Kiran George lost to Shogo Ogawa .
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are yet to play their men's doubles opener later in the day.
Lakshya Sen's campaign at the China Masters 2026 ended at the first hurdle on Wednesday, 2 September, as the Indian shuttler fell to Canada's Victor Lai in straight games in the Round of 32 at the Shenzhen Arena. The defeat extended Lai's dominance over Sen this year, with the Canadian now holding a 3-1 career head-to-head advantage.
Sen's Defeat: A Familiar Foe Strikes Again
Sen went down 14-21, 7-21 to Victor Lai, the 2026 World Championships bronze medallist, in a lopsided contest that lasted well under an hour. This was Lai's third win over Sen in 2026 alone, having previously beaten the Indian at the Thomas Cup and in the Round of 16 at the China Open in July.
Sen's solitary win over Lai remains a gruelling All England Open semifinal in March, which the Indian won 21-16, 18-21, 21-15. The result in Shenzhen underscores a pattern of Lai neutralising Sen's game on the big stage whenever the two have met since that encounter.
Notably, Sen was originally drawn to face Alex Lanier of France — the newly crowned world champion — who withdrew from the tournament following his title-winning run in New Delhi. The revised draw placed Lai as his opponent, and the Canadian made no mistake. This comes just weeks after Sen endured a disappointing second-round exit at the home World Championships, where he lost to Garret Tan of the USA.
Indian Men's Singles: Srikanth, Chauhan, Dayanand Progress
Kidambi Srikanth, the 2021 World Championships silver medallist, advanced to the Round of 16 with a composed 21-16, 21-15 win over Chi Yu-jen. The former world No. 1 was efficient and clinical, giving little away.
Raunak Chauhan also opened his campaign on a positive note, defeating Liu Yu Xuan of China 21-15, 21-18 in straight games. In a notable upset, Saneeth Dayanand overcame third seed Dong Tian Yao of China in a hard-fought three-game battle, winning 9-21, 21-18, 21-15. However, Kiran George bowed out after a three-game defeat — 15-21, 23-21, 10-21 — to Japan's Shogo Ogawa.
Women's Singles: Anmol Kharb and Ashmita Chaliha Through
Anmol Kharb was in commanding form, breezing past Liang Ka Wing of Hong Kong 21-17, 21-9 to book her place in the next round. Ashmita Chaliha also advanced, edging out Pornpicha Choeikeewong of Thailand 21-17, 23-21 in a tighter contest that required composure in the second game.
Mixed Doubles and Matches Ahead
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto dominated the Thai pair of Tonkid Saeheng and Tonrug Saeheng, winning 21-8, 21-9 in a one-sided affair. Later in the day, the high-profile men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are scheduled to face Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai Xing, while Tanvi Sharma takes on Denmark's Amalie Schulz in women's singles action.
India's fortunes at the China Masters now rest on its remaining players, with the Rankireddy-Shetty match among the most closely watched fixtures of the day.
Point of View
Including two at marquee events, signal a tactical and mental gap that Sen urgently needs to address. His exit follows a second-round loss at the home World Championships, and the cumulative picture raises legitimate questions about his ability to convert his undoubted talent into consistent results at the elite level. The rest of India's contingent in Shenzhen performed creditably, but until Sen — the country's most-watched singles prospect — finds an answer to Lai, the bigger story will remain unresolved.
NationPress
2 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Lakshya Sen lose at the China Masters 2026?
Lakshya Sen lost to Canada's Victor Lai 14-21, 7-21 in the Round of 32 at the China Masters 2026 in Shenzhen on 2 September. Lai, the 2026 World Championships bronze medallist, has now beaten Sen three times this year — at the Thomas Cup, the China Open Round of 16, and now the China Masters.
What is Victor Lai and Lakshya Sen's head-to-head record?
Victor Lai leads the head-to-head 3-1 against Lakshya Sen across four career meetings. Sen's only win came in the All England Open semifinal in March 2026, which he won 21-16, 18-21, 21-15. Lai has won all three subsequent encounters.
Which Indian players advanced to the Round of 16 at China Masters 2026?
Kidambi Srikanth, Raunak Chauhan, Saneeth Dayanand, Anmol Kharb, and Ashmita Chaliha all advanced from their respective Round of 32 matches. Mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also progressed with a dominant win.
Who was Lakshya Sen originally supposed to face at the China Masters?
Sen was originally drawn to face newly crowned world champion Alex Lanier of France, who withdrew from the tournament after his title-winning run in New Delhi. The revised draw placed Victor Lai as his opponent.
When do Satwik and Chirag play at the China Masters 2026?
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are scheduled to play their Round of 32 men's doubles match later on 2 September against Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Kang Khai Xing at the Shenzhen Arena.
