Lakshya Sen rallies past Filimon after early scare to enter second round at BWF World Championships

Lakshya Sen had to dig deep before finding his rhythm, but once the Indian star got going, there was little his opponent could do. Sen bounced back from a first-game setback to defeat Austria's Collins Valentine Filimon 16-21, 21-8, 21-4 in 45 minutes and book his place in the second round of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Tuesday. The 14th-seeded Indian shuttler looked unsettled early on as Filimon kept the rallies tight and repeatedly tested him. But Sen made the necessary tactical adjustments after dropping the opening game and turned the contest completely on its head.

Sen never quite managed to settle during the first game. The Austrian kept the Indian player under pressure as the two shuttlers remained locked in a close battle before Filimon suddenly surged ahead. A run of six unanswered points pushed Filimon's lead to 17-12. Sen attempted to claw his way back, but his opponent stayed composed, kept the shuttle in play and capitalised on the Indian's errors to take the opening game 21-16. It was a frustrating start for



Sen but the Indian shuttler quickly realised that he needed to change the pattern of the match.

The second game began competitively, with the scores tied at 7-7. That was when Sen began opening up the rallies and bringing his attacking game into play. The shift immediately made a difference as he moved ahead 11-8 and then completely took charge, winning 10 points in a row. Filimon suddenly found himself struggling to keep pace as Sen's court coverage and attacking strokes began to dictate the exchanges. Sen closed out the second game 21-8 to force a decider, having transformed the momentum of the match within minutes.

Sen will now meet USA's Garret Tan in the second round. Tan advanced after defeating Switzerland's Tobias Kuenzi 21-4, 21-15. With the home crowd behind him in New Delhi, Sen will look to carry the momentum from his comeback into the next round. Notably, the BWF World Championships are being held in India for the first time since 2009, adding extra significance to the home challenge.