Defending champion Shi Yu Qi suffered his earliest loss in nearly three years, with Lakshya Sen delivering an outstanding performance in the first round of YONEX All England 2026.

Not since the Thailand Open in May 2023 had Shi failed to cross the first round; on Tuesday the world No.1 – finalist at his last six events – ran into an inspired Sen, who managed to put the final pieces of the puzzle together after falling in four previous matches to the Chinese.

The world No.12 stayed the course despite losing a close second game, and came away winner in 78 minutes, 23-21 19-21 21-17.

“I’m feeling really good and happy with the way I played today,” said Sen. “I’ve been in the same situation a couple of times, in really close matches and lost. I’m happy with the way I pulled it out in the end and kept my patience.”

Sen chalked his win down to patience at the end points.

“Being patient and changing tactics every now and then, because once he starts reading the game, I have to change a little bit here and there. The net was crucial. And being patient throughout the match was the key. I knew not a lot of easy points were coming, so I had to wait for my chances to hit.”

Another absorbing opening match was between young stars Alex Lanier and Victor Lai, playing his first All England. The Canadian – who rose to stardom with a bronze at last year’s World Championships – achieved one of his biggest scalps yet by taking down Lanier in a three-game thriller, 21-12 21-23 23-21.

“We are both young, up-and-coming players. So the opportunity to play him in a big tournament is also amazing,” said Lai. “My first All England, first time playing in England, so I was really excited. Really excited, also really nervous. He’s a top player. He’s top seven in the world for a reason.

“I always thought the All England was the biggest tournament after the Olympics and the World Championships. So definitely it’s a big one. I circled it on my calendar. After India Open I had six weeks of training. I had the Pan Am Team Cup in the middle but I had a good training block just now, so I felt well prepared coming in.”

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WHAT OTHERS SAID

“It’s normal to lose and especially when I haven’t played any tournament for so long, and also from the back injury I had. There was some discomfort in my wrist as well. In general, I’m not in my best form and I only had one week practice before this. We both made quite a few mistakes but I tried my best to play this match.” – Shi

“I feel very lucky and fortunate to be on top of the podium once before but now they are like past stories. I hope I still can create more wonderful moments here this year.” – Li Shi Feng, who won in 2023

“I had to undergo ACL surgery on my left knee in June. At that time, I didn’t know if I would be able to compete at this year’s All England but fortunately I’m back here. I’m not quite happy with my performance today but I got to learn quite a lot.” – Malvika Bansod, after losing to Chen Yu Fei