Malaysia Open: Lakshya Sen suffers shock first round exit, loses to Chi Yu-jen

An inconsistent Lakshya Sen suffered a shock exit in the first round of the Malaysia Open 2025 on Tuesday, January 7. Lakshya, fresh off a title win at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow and a third-place finish at the King Cup International, struggled to maintain his form and fell to Chi Yu-jen of Chinese Taipei in straight games, 14-21, 7-21.

The Indian shuttler was plagued by unforced errors, leaving him little chance against the 27-year-old opponent. The opening game began evenly, with both players locked at 6-6. However, Yu Jen capitalised on a crucial cross-court smash during a long rally and entered the mid-game



interval with a three-point lead at 11-8, helped by a misjudgement from Lakshya.

Post-interval, Lakshya’s inconsistency came to the fore as a string of unforced errors allowed Yu Jen to extend his lead to 13-9. The opening game slipped away as Lakshya committed three consecutive errors, handing it to his opponent.

In the second game, Lakshya’s struggles deepened, falling behind 1-8 early. By the mid-game break, he trailed 4-11 and continued to falter as Yu Jen surged ahead to 19-7. A netted shot from Lakshya handed his opponent 13 match points, and Yu Jen clinched the victory with a decisive cross-court smash.