Indian Shuttlers Shine at Macau Open, Big Wins for Lakshya Sen and Tharun Mannepalli

India’s top badminton stars are showing their grit at the ongoing Macau Open 2025. Lakshya Sen, fresh off his semifinal run at Paris 2024, has stormed into the quarterfinals in the men's singles. Also Read: Khalid Jamil Appointed as Head Coach of Indian Football Team After 13 Years Facing Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (World No. 48), Lakshya edged out a tough three-game battle that lasted over an hour. He won 21-14, 14-21, 21-17, showcasing his stamina and precision at key moments. One of the biggest surprises came from young Tharun Mannepalli, who shocked top seed Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in a dramatic match. After losing the first set, Tharun bounced back to clinch victory in a nail-biting decider: 19-21, 21-14, 22-20. However, it wasn't smooth sailing for everyone. Seventh-seeded Ayush Shetty, fresh from a US Open title, fell short against Malaysia’s Justin Hoh, losing 21-18, 21-16 in the pre-quarters.

Comeback Kings: Satwik-Chirag

In men’s doubles, India’s star pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (World No. 9) pulled off a stunning comeback. Down by a game against Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi, the duo saved a match point in the second and turned the match around with scores of 10-21, 22-20, 21-16. Unfortunately, the other Indian doubles team — Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek — exited the tournament after losing 21-18, 21-18 to Malaysia’s fourth seeds Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King.

End of Road in Women’s Events

India’s campaign in the women’s singles ended as Rakshitha Ramraj lost a hard-fought match to Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan: 14-21, 21-10, 21-11. In women’s doubles, the Indian pair Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra couldn’t get past Indonesia’s Meilysa Trias and Rachel Allessya, going down 21-14, 21-12. Mixed doubles also saw an early exit, as the fifth-seeded Indian pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost to Malaysia’s Jimmy Wong and Lai Pei Jing in three games: 19-21, 21-13, 21-18. Despite some disappointments, India still has its hopes pinned on Lakshya Sen and the formidable Satwik-Chirag duo as the tournament heads into its final stages. Also Read: West Indies Announce New T20I Squad vs Pakistan Amid Injury Setbacks