Sports Desk: India’s campaign at the Indonesia Open 2026 got off to mixed fortunes as men’s singles star Lakshya Sen suffered a first-round exit, while two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu progressed to the second round of the prestigious Super 1000 tournament. World No. 10 Lakshya Sen was defeated by Indonesia’s rising star Alwi Farhan in straight games, 21-19, 21-16, in a match lasting 48 minutes. The Indian shuttler fought back from an early deficit in the opening game and briefly held a 19-18 lead, but Farhan finished strongly by claiming three consecutive points to take the first game. The Indonesian maintained his momentum in the second game, closing out the contest with four straight points after leading 17-16.
Also Read: BCCI Adapts to IPL’s ‘Reel Culture’ but Stresses Focus on Cricket
The defeat marked Sen’s second consecutive loss to Farhan, having also lost to the Indonesian youngster in the semifinals of the Macau Open last year. In contrast, Sindhu made a winning start to her campaign, overcoming Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan 25-23, 21-16 in a hard-fought opening-round encounter. The match lasted 51 minutes, with the Indian star being tested throughout by her determined opponent before securing a place in the pre-quarterfinals.
The victory extended Sindhu’s dominant head-to-head record against Busanan to 21-1 and continued her positive run after returning to the world’s top 10 rankings earlier this season. The opening day also proved disappointing for former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, who exited the tournament after losing to Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in the men’s singles first round. With Sindhu advancing and several Indian contenders bowing out early, hopes of a strong singles challenge at the Indonesia Open now rest largely on the veteran Indian star as the tournament progresses.
