“Lakshya lost to a very ordinary player, and there is no excuse for this performance.”
Former chief national coach Vimal Kumar expressed his disappointment after Lakshya Sen suffered a shock second-round defeat at the BWF World Championships on Wednesday. Lakshya went down 19-21, 21-19, 21-17 to world No. 92 Garret Tan in a 73-minute contest that shifted repeatedly before the American secured the win.
For Tan, it was the biggest victory of his career. The 18-year-old had originally planned to return home on Friday, but his unexpected success has extended his stay in Delhi. A former world junior No. 1, Tan remains seventh in the BWF junior rankings. Before the World Championships, however, he had never reached the main draw of a tour-level event, with his notable victories coming at International Challenge level.
Against Lakshya, Tan produced the performance of his young career, keeping his composure against the home favourite and a packed arena that expected the Indian to advance.
Lakshya made a positive start. He held an 11-10 lead at the interval in the opening game and eventually took it despite Tan constantly applying pressure. The Indian celebrated by punching the air, reflecting the intensity of the contest even at that early stage.
Tan, however, responded strongly in the second game.
He unleashed a series of powerful smashes that Lakshya struggled to deal with, while also varying his attack by playing cross-court and straight down the line. His work at the net was just as impressive, as he willingly engaged Lakshya in front-court exchanges and displayed excellent timing.
One of the biggest problems for Lakshya was his inability to dictate the rallies.
His front-court pushes were frequently too short, giving Tan the opportunity to attack. He also struggled to get underneath the shuttle and produce the downward attacking shots needed to put the American under sustained pressure.
“There was also very little initiative to get underneath the shuttle and play attacking, downward shots,” Vimal said. “He was too passive and allowed the opponent to dictate the rallies.”
Vimal felt the result could have been very different had Lakshya maintained his composure.
“If he had played some decent, composed rallies from the beginning, he could have comfortably won the match,” he said.
He also criticised Lakshya’s lack of confidence in the basic aspects of his game.
“Even the basic lifts from the net to the back court lacked confidence. He did not look confident enough to sustain rallies without making mistakes, and that put him under unnecessary pressure.”
“Overall, he looked very ordinary today. This is a match he should have won.”
At the second-game interval, with Tan leading 11-9, his coaching team urged him to remain patient with his attacking play.
THE AMERICAN GAME PLAN
Tan’s first coach, Paula Lynn, has worked with him since he was six years old. She was in his coaching corner alongside Lauren Lam, who had represented the USA on court just a day earlier before losing to India’s Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in women’s doubles.
This time, Lam helped Tan formulate a plan to overcome Lakshya.
“First, I need to make him calm and patient, because most players want to rush things,” Lynn said.
The American camp had specifically identified Lakshya’s strength around the front of the court and wanted Tan to minimise his exposure there.
“Lakshya is very good at putting a lot of pressure on Garreth in the front,” Lynn said.
“So that's why we wanted to keep him away from the front.”
The team had also studied the court conditions and the difference caused by the drift on either side.
“His speciality is that he's a controlled power player,” Lynn said.
“When he's tall, he can jump really high and is very powerful.”
Tan executed the strategy effectively. He never allowed Lakshya to establish a lead in the second game and closed it 21-19, forcing a deciding game.
Lakshya’s frustration became increasingly visible. He threw his racquet and received a warning from the chair umpire before the third game got off to a disastrous start for the Indian.
Tan quickly opened an 8-2 advantage.
His powerful smashes continued to find their mark, while his changes of direction and controlled pushes repeatedly unsettled Lakshya. The American appeared increasingly comfortable as Lakshya began to look fatigued.
The home crowd attempted to lift the Indian.
“Let’s go Lakshya, let’s go,” echoed around the arena, with the drums making their presence felt for the first time during the tournament. Tan later acknowledged that the atmosphere affected him early in the decider while he held an 8-2 lead.
Lakshya once again refused to give up. Trailing 4-12, he won six consecutive points to cut the gap to 10-12. One rally lasted 41 shots as the match turned into a test of stamina and mental strength.
Tan’s attack subsequently lost some of its sharpness. He found it harder to finish rallies after his smashes, allowing Lakshya to retrieve more often. Both players were visibly tiring, and Lakshya’s fitness began to bring him back into contention.
A medical timeout followed after Tan appeared to hit his head while attempting a diving retrieval.
The stoppage, however, did not alter the outcome. Tan moved to 20-16. Lakshya saved one match point but could not complete another comeback.
Tan closed out the decider 21-17 and briefly stood motionless, seemingly unable to take in the magnitude of his achievement.
“I’m still speechless right now,” Tan said.
“I just... I can't believe I'm playing tomorrow.”
Lakshya, meanwhile, reflected on a physically demanding contest.
“I think overall it was a very hard-fought match and... yeah, I gave it my all, whatever I had in the tank,” he said. “Towards the end of third set, I was also exhausted, physically.”
For Tan, the victory gave him a remarkable new chapter in his young career. He arrived in Delhi as a former junior world No. 1 still searching for a breakthrough at senior level. He left having defeated the 14th seed, withstood the pressure of a partisan home crowd and earned another opportunity to compete at the World Championships.
