Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen will face Canada’s Victor Lai in the opening round of the China Masters after newly crowned world champion Alex Lanier withdrew from the tournament.
The withdrawal means Lakshya will avoid what had been set to be one of the standout first-round matches of the competition. The Indian was originally drawn against World No. 7 Lanier following the Frenchman’s remarkable World Championships triumph in New Delhi.
Lanier, 21, made history by becoming the first French player to capture the men’s singles world title. He produced a dominant performance in the final, defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 to complete his memorable run.
The victory also placed Lanier in rare company. He became only the third non-Asian singles player this century to win a world championship, joining Spain’s Carolina Marin and Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen.
His withdrawal, however, has changed the equation for Lakshya, who will now prepare for a considerably different challenge against Canada’s Lai.
Lakshya enters the China Masters after experiencing an inconsistent 2026 season. The 25-year-old remains among India’s leading men’s singles players and enjoyed a strong run at the All England Open earlier this year, reaching the final.
The Indian has also enjoyed success on the biggest stages during his career. He is a World Championships bronze medallist and narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal after finishing fourth at the Paris 2024 Games.
However, Lakshya has also endured disappointing results this season. One of the biggest setbacks came at the World Championships in New Delhi, where his campaign ended in the second round.
Lakshya suffered a surprise defeat against little-known American teenager Garret Tan, cutting short his hopes of another deep run at the global event.
The China Masters will now provide Lakshya with another opportunity to find consistency and build on the form that carried him to the All England Open final. While the anticipated battle against the newly crowned world champion is off, the Indian will first have to negotiate his revised opening-round assignment against Lai.
