India’s Lakshya Sen recovered from an early setback to defeat Austria’s Collins Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4 in the men’s singles opening round of the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi.
The 14th-seeded Indian struggled for rhythm in the first game as Filimon secured a 21-16 lead. Sen then produced a remarkable turnaround, quickly taking control of the second game and winning it 21-8 to force a decider. The former World Championship bronze medallist was dominant in the final game, racing to an 11-1 lead before completing the match 21-4. Sen needed 45 minutes to seal the victory and conceded just 12 points across the final two games.
The win sends him into the next round. Unnati and India’s women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also advanced.