Lakshya Sen storms into the All England semifinals with straight-game win over Li Shi Feng

India’s Lakshya Sen kept the country’s hopes alive at the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships after defeating China’s Li Shi Feng in straight games to reach the men’s singles semifinals.

The world No. 12 Indian shuttler delivered a commanding performance to beat the world No. 6 Chinese player 21-13, 21-16 in the quarterfinals on Friday at Utilita Arena Birmingham.

The victory also served as sweet revenge for Sen, who had been knocked out by Li at the same stage in the 2025 edition of the tournament.

Sen dominated the opening game, racing to an early lead with aggressive strokes and precise placement. Although Li attempted to narrow the gap midway, the Indian maintained control and closed out the game comfortably.

The second game proved more competitive as both players exchanged points in the early rallies. Sen held a narrow advantage at the mid-game interval before stepping up the intensity in the final stages to secure the win and book his place in the semifinals.

The result improved Sen’s head-to-head record against Li Shi Feng to eight wins from 15 meetings.

Sen, who finished runner-up at the All England Championships in 2022 and also reached the semifinals in 2024, is now the only Indian remaining in the tournament this year. Earlier in the competition, he produced a major upset by defeating world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi in the opening round.

Sen will next face Canada’s Victor Lai, currently ranked world No. 16, in the semifinal.

Meanwhile, other Indian contenders exited the tournament earlier in the week. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a first-round defeat, while Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda were also eliminated in the opening round of the women’s singles.

Two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu withdrew from the tournament after travel disruptions in the Middle East prevented her from reaching Birmingham in time. The mixed doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila also retired from their match on Thursday.