Badminton and cricket are two of his favourite sports. He was here with us for about an hour, Vimal Kumar said.
India's mixed doubles pairs faced early exits at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026, with both teams losing in the opening round.
Lakshya Sen mounted a remarkable comeback to become the first male Indian shuttler to qualify for the singles semi-finals at the Olympic Games.
After Canada Open triumph, Sen jumps 7 places to be at 12th spot in world rankings
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Somappa Bommai was quick to felicitate the 20-year-old native of Almora in Uttarkhand who is now based in Bengaluru where he trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.
Lakshya Sen progressed to the quarterfinals of the men's singles competition at the Kumamoto Masters Japan with a straight game win over Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh in Kumamoto, Japan, on Thursday.
This was Lakshya Sen's first title since the Canada Open in 2024.
Rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen sailed into the men's singles semi-finals with a straight-games victory over compatriot B M Rahul Bharadwaj at the Dutch Open Super 100 tournament, in Almere, the Netherlands, on Friday.
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen suffered a straight-games defeat to Japan's Kodai Naraoka in the men's singles quarter-finals as the curtain came down on India's campaign in the Denmark Open Super 750 tournament, in Odense, on Friday night.
Top Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen registered an upset win over former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to storm into the semifinals of the USD 475,000 Kumamoto Masters Japan in Kumamoto, Japan, on Friday.
While Sen needed just 40 minutes to advance Sameer Verma retired hurt against Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito at the end of the second game when the scoreline reading 16-21, 21-12 in another men's singles match.
Lakshya Sen fought through a bruising three-game contest but fell short in the decisive moments to go down in three games against Chinese Taipei's World No. 12 Lin Chun-Yi in men's singles quarterfinals as the home challenge ended at the India Open Super 750, in New Delhi, on Friday.
Lakshya Sen went down fighting against reigning All England champion Li Shi Feng of China in the men's singles semi-finals.
India ace Lakshya Sen made a fine start to the new season, advancing to the men's singles second round with a hard-fought win over Jia Heng Jason Teh of Singapore at the Malaysia Open Super 750 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
World championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen entered his maiden World Tour Super 500 summit clash on Saturday with a come-from-behind win over Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open in New Delhi.
India's Ayush Shetty defeated world number 7 Lin Shi Feng of China in straight games at the Badminton Asia Championships, advancing to the second round.
Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen entered the quarterfinals of Indonesia Masters badminton tournament after securing straight-game wins in their respective round-of-16 matches in Jakarta on Thursday.
Lakshya bows out of French Open after first-round loss to Ireland's Nhat Nguyen
But it was end of the road for Sen's compatriot Kiran George, who lost 20-22, 10-21 to Malaysia's Jing Hong Kok.
Ayush Shetty's silver medal at the Asia Championships has positioned him as a potential men's singles contender for India, boosting the nation's badminton prospects as they prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto progressed to the second round of the Badminton Asia Championships, while Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani exited in the first round.
India's Ayush Shetty defeated world No. 7 Lin Shi Feng at the Badminton Asia Championships, while PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy also advanced. Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth exited in the opening round.
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, also progressed without taking the court after receiving a walkover from USA's Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
Sen will now face the winner of the other quarter-final match between Olympic champion and top seed Viktor Axelsen and India's Kidambi Srikanth on Saturday.
Ayush Shetty defeated world No. 7 Li Shi Feng at the Badminton Asia Championships, while PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy also advanced. Other Indian players faced setbacks in the opening round.
Two-time Olympics medallist P V Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the star pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty form the core of India's squad for the Badminton Asia Team Championships, in Qingdao, China, from February 3-8.
The top-16 in the world by April-end will make the cut for the Olympics.
Ace Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stunned World No. 2 and local favourite Anders Antonsen in straight games to enter the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament in Odense on Thursday.
Lakshya Sen's fine run was snapped after a draining three-game semi-final defeat to Japan's world No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto at the US $475,000 Kumamoto Masters Japan on Saturday.
In the mixed doubles, the Indian duo of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto lost 13-21, 12-21 to the Chinese pair of Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the first round.
India's Lakshya Sen won his second successive BWF World Tour Super 100 title with a thrilling victory over China's Weng Hong Yang in the final of the SaarLorLux Open, in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Sunday.
Former champion Lakshya Sen produced a composed and tactical performance to advance to the quarterfinals of the $950,000 India Open Super 750 badminton tournament but Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy bowed out after a spirited show, in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Newly-crowned Canada Open champion Lakshya Sen will hope to continue his winning momentum while beginning his campaign at the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament.
Lakshya Sen exits, Mannepalli keeps Indian hopes alive at Arctic Open
Sen, 26, who had made it to the Hong Kong Open final but has gone without a title this year, had a tough time beating Shetty in the opening game.
Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stunned fifth seed Christo Popov of France in straight games to enter the men's singles pre-quarterfinals at the $475,000 Hylo Open Super 500 tournament in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Wednesday.
Former India coach Vimal Kumar believes Ayush Shetty's silver medal at the Asia Championships is a positive sign for India's Thomas Cup campaign, highlighting the youngster's potential and areas for improvement.
Sindhu, Lakshya win openers; Sai Praneeth loses in US Open
Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has urged the Badminton World Federation to exercise caution regarding proposed scoring changes, maintaining that the current 21-point system preserves the sport's essential intensity and endurance.
The Indian men's and women's badminton teams face challenging draws in the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cups, with both teams grouped alongside defending champions China.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances