Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 8 -- India's Lakshya Sen crashed out of the Malaysia Open 2026 badminton tournament, losing to Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in the men's singles pre-quarterfinals at the Stadium Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Lakshya Sen, 13th in the badminton rankings, lost 22-20, 21-15 against world No. 18 Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, China in 53 minutes, as per Olympics.com.

The 24-year-old Indian shuttler had a promising start, leading 11-9 at the interval and even holding four game points in the opening game. However, Lee Cheuk Yiu's six consecutive points turned the tide, and he took the opener in a tie-break. Sen couldn't recover, losing the second game as well.

This was Lakshya Sen's third defeat in five matches agains...