Kuala Lumpur

India’s top shuttler Lakshya Sen began his 2026 campaign on a positive note, securing a place in the second round of the men’s singles at the Malaysia Open Super 750 after a gruelling three-game battle on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old from Almora showed resilience and composure to overcome Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh in a 70-minute contest, prevailing 21-16, 15-21, 21-14. Teh, ranked world No. 21, pushed Sen hard, but the Indian world No. 13 held his nerve in the decider.

Lakshya, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships, had a strong end to last season, winning the Australian Open and finishing runner-up at the Hong Kong Open. He will next face either sixth seed Christo Popov of France or Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.

In contrast, India’s challenge in women’s singles suffered an early setback as Malvika Bansod exited the tournament in the opening round. Making her return to competitive badminton after a six-month break due to a left knee injury, Malvika went down 11-21, 11-21 to Thailand’s seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon, a former world champion.

Later on Tuesday, Ayush Shetty, the US Open Super 300 champion, is scheduled to take on Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, in what promises to be a tough contest.

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Meanwhile, India’s men’s doubles pairing of M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan will be up against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita in their opening match.