Lakshya Sen Suffers 11th First-Round French Open Exit

At the 2025 BWF French Open, India's Lakshya Sen, world-ranked 16th, was unexpectedly defeated in the first round by Ireland's Nhat Nguyen, ranked 29th, with a score of 7-21, 16-21 in just 43 minutes. Nguyen dominated the match from the start, capitalizing on Sen's unforced errors and weak defense, marking Sen's 11th first-round exit in 17 BWF World Tour events this year despite recent strong performances like reaching the Hong Kong Open final and Denmark Open quarter-finals. This loss was Sen's second to Nguyen in 2025, shifting their head-to-head record to 3-2 in Sen's favor. Mixed doubles players Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde secured a pre-quarterfinal spot by defeating Ukraine's Oleksii Titov and Yevheniia Kantemyr and are set to face the world No. 6 French pair. The French Open's opening day also highlighted the continuation of India's active sports calendar, including the Pro Kabaddi League and the Asian Youth Games where India earned medals in Kurash. Sen is slated to return to competition at the Hylo Open later in October, aiming to win his first title of the year.