Priyanshu rallies to beat former champ Lakshya in opener

The India Open was always going to be a crucial stop for both Lakshya Sen and Priyanshu Rajawat. The former is an ex-champion, an established star, the flagbearer of Indian men's badminton today, one who has beaten the best in the world regularly. Rajawat, on the other hand, is among the country's most promising shuttlers, already challenging HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth.

- Sandip Sikdar

But both Sen and Rajawat have witnessed a rapid dip in their performance of late. Following a dismal start to 2023 when Sen was recovering from a deviated nasal septum surgery, the reigning CWG champion was beginning to show signs of his old self when he reached the semi-finals of Thailand Open, US Open and Japan Open before finally clinching Canada Open. But the 22-yearold went through an incredible dip in form to lose seven successive first round matches since the end of the 2023 Worlds.

On Tuesday, that figure became eight when Rajawat rallied to beat his friend and fellow Thomas Cup champion 16-21, 21-16, 21-13 in an hour and 15 minutes to enter Round 2 of the $850,000 event at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.