Lakshya Sen stutters, settles, soars to conquer opening Worlds hurdle

He built on it as Lakshya started erring at the net. Lakshya’s errors gave Filimon a decisive lead of 19-14. The Indian tried to make a comeback but failed as Filimon won the first game 21-19.

“There was wind and drift in the stadium and my net shots were not travelling. I was a little apprehensive about the power to put on the shot. But I changed it in the second game, got my opponent engaged in rallies and that’s where I started dominating,” Lakshya explained.

The 25-year-old couldn’t generate the power required while tackling the drift and struggled against the drives and smashes of Filimon. “I was playing a tall opponent and whenever I played it short, he had an advantage. He would either drive or smash it, which resulted in the loss of the first game,” he said.

This is not the first time Lakshya has faced issues against a tall opponent; during the India Open earlier this year, Lin Chun-yi also smashed his lifts easily.

India’s Lakshya Sen celebrates after his win against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon during the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Tactical shift

However, as the sides changed, Lakshya figured out how to deal with the drift and his opponent’s height also. He changed his tactics and decided not to give any more shots at attacking length to his opponent.

Once in the groove, Lakshya started mixing his deceptive drops with down-the-line smashes which resulted in Filimon making multiple errors. “In the second game, I was aware that my side was the faster one and I started generating the power to trouble my opponent,” said Lakshya.

Filimon held fort for some time but Lakshya started dominating after the mid-game interval of 11-8, and didn’t let his opponent take any more points in the game. It was a mix of errors from Filimon as the crowd pressure grew and Lakshya getting better with his strokes.

“The crowd definitely helps. It gets easier, knowing that they are backing us,” Lakshya said.

The third and final game was an exhibition of attacking badminton and deception from Lakshya as he won it 21-4, completely dismantling the challenge of Filimon. “Once my game plan started working, I became more free and my body language started changing,” the star Indian shuttler said.

The changing body language was visible as he started enjoying his shots and having fun on the court. He started with a down-the-line smash, then went on to deceive Filimon on the net and eventually use his drops to kill the points.

India’s Lakshay Sen competes in the round of 64 men’s singles badminton match against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon, unseen, during the BWF World Championships, at IGI Stadium, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (PTI Photo)

“I started enjoying it as soon as my tactics started working. It was good to play around as much as I can do,” he quipped.

There was an exchange at the net where Lakshya hit to the right, moved left, and then dropped the shuttle on the opposite side of Filimon, almost mirroring a well-executed body feint on the football field.

While the win displayed how well Lakshya can play when he starts enjoying the game, his struggle with drift is not new. To work on his understanding of drift, he trained at the big hall at the National Centre for Excellence in Guwahati.

“The main goal going there was to get used to conditions because we had a bit of time after our last tournament to prepare,” he said.

Playing at the World Championships in front of a home crowd can be nerve-racking and if you lose the first game, it becomes more dangerous. However, Lakshya will take confidence from his win today, even as his draw got trickier with fifth seed Christo Popov getting knocked out in the opener by Kenta Nishimoto.

The ‘Superstar’ — as described by the crowd — does not have an easy road ahead but he has the support, the preparation and a win now.