STAR Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Sen, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, fell to Ireland's Nhat Nguyen in a tense three-game battle, losing 18-21 21-9 17-21 in a match that lasted one hour and 20 minutes.
After dropping the first game, Sen found his rhythm in the second, dominating with aggressive rallies.
However, Nguyen held his nerve in a close-decider, edging ahead at 17-13 before sealing the win.
In women's singles, the trio of Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advanced to the women's singles second round after hard-fought victories.
World No. 23 Malvika, a runner-up at the 2024 Hylo Open, ousted Turkey's Neslihan Arin 21-12 13-21 21-17 to set up a clash with former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, seeded seventh.
Aakarshi survived a thrilling contest against Japan's Kaoru Sugiyama, winning 21-16 20-22 22-20.
It was a match of narrow margins, with the Indian holding her nerve in the final stages of the decider.
The 17-year-old Unnati, the 2022 Odisha Masters and 2023 Abu Dhabi Masters winner, also fought her way through to the next round, registering a gritty 21-14 18-21 23-21 victory over Thailand's Thamonwan Nithiittikrai.
Unnati, who reached the semifinals at Taipei Open last week, will face top seed Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, while Aakarshi meets fourth-seeded Supanida Katethong, also from Thailand.
In women's doubles, the world No. 10 pair of Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, currently the best-ranked Indians in the world, also made a positive start to their campaign, reaching the second round with a 21-15 21-13 win over Malaysia's Ong XY and C Ting.
The third-seeded Indian combination will next square off against Japan's Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara.
World No. 33 Priyanshu Rajawat too made a first-round exit as he went down 13-21 21-17 16-21 against Alwi Farhan of Indonesia.
Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj also lost her women's singles opener 18-21 7-21 to eighth seed Yeo Jia Min of Singapore.
Former national champion Anupama Upadhyaya, who was part of India's Sudirman Cup team, too fell by the wayside, going down 11-21 9-21 to Thailand's former world champion Ratchanok Intanon.
The women's pair of K Selvam and S Singhi, and men's pair of P Krishnamurthy Roy and S Pratheek K also lost in the opening round of doubles events.
Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images
Argentina's forward #10 Lionel Messi cries during the trophy ceremony at the end of the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026.Getty Images
Shakira performs during the Topps Final Halftime Show the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty Images
Haze from Canadian wildfires blankets the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building, as seen from Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 17, 2026 in New York City. New York City has been under an Air Quality Health Advisory as the Canadian and Great Lakes wildfire smoke gradually moves through the area, creating a thick haze in the heat. Getty Images