Lakshya Sen Stunned by 18-Year-Old Garret Tan as BWF World Championships Campaign Ends in Delhi

Lakshya Sen’s BWF World Championships 2026 campaign came to a stunning and disappointing end in New Delhi after the Indian star suffered a shock second-round defeat to 18-year-old American Garret Tan.

The World No. 14 and home favourite went down 21-19, 19-21, and 17-21 in a gruelling 73-minute Round of 32 battle, as World No. 92 Tan produced the biggest victory of his young senior career. Lakshya entered the match as the overwhelming favourite. A 2021 World Championships bronze medallist and one of India’s leading hopes in men’s singles, he was expected to use home support and his experience at major tournaments to progress comfortably.

Instead, the 18-year-old American turned the match around after losing the opening game and completed one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. For Lakshya, it is another painful early exit at a tournament where he had arrived with the opportunity to rediscover his best form on home soil.

The opening game followed the expected script initially. Lakshya used his experience to edge the teenager 21-19, but the narrow margin offered an early indication that Tan was not intimidated by the occasion. The Indian had the advantage, but the match was far from comfortable.

Tan responded in the second game with greater confidence and aggression. The American teenager matched Lakshya in the rallies and began finding ways to disrupt the Indian’s rhythm. The second game again went down to the wire.

This time, Tan held his nerve. He won 21-19 to level the contest and force a deciding game. The momentum had now shifted. In the third game, Lakshya attempted to regain control, but Tan continued to play with remarkable composure for a player competing in his first senior World Championships. The American eventually closed out the decider 21-17, completing a famous victory in 73 minutes.

After the defeat, Lakshya admitted that he had given everything in the final stages but was unable to find a way through. “I gave it my all in the end, but it was just not enough to win this match,” Lakshya said. For the Indian, that will make the result particularly difficult to accept.

Lakshya was not only the higher-ranked player but also the far more experienced one. The 24-year-old has previously stood on the World Championships podium, winning bronze in 2021. He has competed against the biggest names in badminton and has been part of several major Indian campaigns over the years.

Tan, by comparison, arrived in New Delhi with far less attention. The American teenager was making his senior World Championships debut and had reportedly already booked his return flight to the United States for Friday.

Those plans will now have to change. Ranked No. 92 in the world, Tan came into the tournament as one of the lower-ranked players in the draw. But his victory over Lakshya has immediately placed him among the biggest stories of the World Championships.

For Lakshya, the defeat will be viewed as a missed opportunity. Playing in Delhi, with Indian fans behind him, the World No. 14 had a chance to build momentum and make a deep run. Instead, his campaign ended in the second round.

Who is Garret Tan?

The teenager who defeated Lakshya is one of the emerging names in American badminton. Tan has Chinese Taipei and Malaysian roots and has risen rapidly through the United States badminton system. Last year, he reached World No. 1 in the junior rankings, signalling his potential before making the transition into senior badminton.

His development has also been shaped significantly by his mother, Victoria, who has played a major role as both his coach and manager. That makes his performance in Delhi even more remarkable. Tan entered the World Championships without the kind of global attention usually associated with the sport’s top young prospects. But against Lakshya, he demonstrated the composure, stamina and belief required to compete with an established player.

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Coming back from a game down against a former World Championships medallist is no small achievement. Doing it in front of a home crowd supporting the opponent makes the result even more significant. The victory is comfortably the biggest of Tan’s career and could become an important moment for his own development as well as for American badminton.

For Lakshya, the immediate focus will turn towards understanding why he was unable to convert his first-game advantage. The match lasted 73 minutes, indicating the physical intensity of the contest, but the bigger concern will be his inability to maintain control after winning the opening game. Lakshya has shown repeatedly in the past that he possesses the quality to compete with the world's best. His World Championships medal remains evidence of his ability to perform on the biggest stage.

However, consistency remains crucial.

At World No. 14, Lakshya is still among the leading players in men’s singles, but losses against lower-ranked opponents can become costly in major tournaments where opportunities for deep runs are limited. The defeat will also be frustrating because the World Championships were being played at home.

Indian badminton fans had expected Lakshya to be among the players capable of carrying the country’s challenge in the men’s singles draw. Instead, the home favourite will leave the tournament earlier than expected.

Ayush Shetty keeps India moving forward

While Lakshya’s exit was the major shock of the day for India, there was positive news elsewhere in the men’s singles draw. Ayush Shetty stormed into the pre-quarterfinals with a dominant straight-games victory over Dumindu Abeywickrama. Ayush won 21-8, 21-10, producing one of the most commanding Indian performances of the round.

His progress provides India with another men’s singles contender as the tournament moves into its crucial stages. But the spotlight will inevitably remain on Lakshya’s shock exit. A home World Championships promised an opportunity for the former bronze medallist to make another deep run.

Instead, 18-year-old Garret Tan produced the performance of his life. For Lakshya Sen, the challenge now is to regroup.

For Tan, a return ticket home can wait.