PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen Exit Early at Denmark Open 2026 Badminton Tournament

In a disappointing turn of events at the Denmark Open 2026, Indian badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen were eliminated in the first round. Sindhu lost to Germany's Yvonne Li in a closely contested match, while Sen fell to world No. 3 Chou Tien-chen. On a brighter note, Kidambi Srikanth and Tanvi Sharma advanced to the next round, showcasing India's talent in the tournament. The doubles teams are set to begin their campaigns soon, adding excitement to the event.

By Narendra Chaudhary Oct 14, 2026, 00:14 IST

Early Exits for Indian Stars at Denmark Open

Odense, Denmark - On October 13, India's badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen faced disappointing first-round eliminations at the Denmark Open 2026. Meanwhile, Tanvi Sharma and former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the next round of this prestigious BWF Super 750 event.

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, lost to Germany's Yvonne Li, who is ranked 50th globally, with scores of 13-21, 25-23, 21-19 at the SJF Bank Arena. This defeat marked Sindhu's first loss in four encounters against Li, as reported by a sports news outlet.

The match began with Sindhu taking control, winning the first game. However, Li made a strong comeback, clinching the second game despite Sindhu saving five game points. In the final game, Sindhu initially led 12-7 and 19-15, but Li surged ahead with a six-point streak to secure the win.

Li will now compete against India's Tanvi Sharma, who triumphed over Japan's Natsuki Nidaira in a challenging three-game match, finishing 21-17, 16-21, 21-19.

Lakshya Sen also exited in the first round, losing to Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei, the world No. 3 and sixth seed, with scores of 21-18, 13-21, 21-15. This defeat marked Sen's fifth first-round exit in his last six BWF World Tour tournaments and his fifth loss in ten encounters with Chou.

Sen started strong, leading 18-15 in the first game before Chou rallied to win six consecutive points. The Indian player responded well in the second game, establishing an 11-6 lead, but Chou regained control in the final game to secure victory.

On a positive note for India, Kidambi Srikanth, the 2017 Denmark Open champion, advanced to the second round by defeating France's Arnaud Merklé with scores of 22-20, 21-19.

India's doubles teams will kick off their campaigns on Wednesday, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty competing in men's doubles, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will participate in women's doubles.