Lakshya Sen handed first-round bye, projected to face Loh Kean Yew on September 26 at Asian Games 2026

Lakshya Sen will begin his men's singles campaign at the Asian Games 2026 with a first-round bye and is projected to meet Loh Kean Yew in the round of 32 on September 26, with top-ranked players Jonatan Christie and Kunlavut Vitidsarn also appearing on his prospective route.

Sen is chasing a maiden Asian Games gold and advances directly to the round of 32 after the bye, which the source notes could provide extra rest following the team event. His round-of-32 opponent would be Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, currently ranked world No. 13; Sen leads their head-to-head 7-4. Loh won their most recent meeting at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February.

A projected last-16 opponent is Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeratsakul, who is ranked world No. 17 and shares a 1-1 head-to-head record with Sen. Teeratsakul won their latest encounter in straight games in the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Masters, demonstrating he can defeat Sen on the international stage. That result frames the round-of-16 as a potential stumbling block for the Indian shuttler.

The prospective quarter-final opponent is Jonatan Christie, the world No. 1, who leads their head-to-head 4-3. Meeting Christie at the quarter-final stage would present a significant hurdle for Sen, requiring disruption of Christie’s rhythm and sustained intensity to advance. The draw places that high-level test in the middle rounds of the knockout phase.

In the semi-final projection, Sen could face China’s Shi Yuqi, currently ranked world No. 6; Shi leads their head-to-head 5-2. Sen defeated Shi in the round of 32 at the 2026 All England Open earlier this year, but Shi beat Sen in their most recent meeting at the Asian Games team event. Those alternating results underline the unsettled nature of that matchup.

The potential final opponent is Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world No. 3, a former world champion and an Olympic silver medallist, who leads their head-to-head 8-5. A gold-medal match between the two would be between players who have already contested several closely fought encounters. Overall, the draw projects multiple top-ranked opponents for Sen across successive knockout rounds.

On paper Sen’s knockout path reads: R64 – Bye; R32 – Loh Kean Yew; R16 – Panitchaphon Teeratsakul; Quarter-final – Jonatan Christie; Semi-final – Shi Yuqi; Final – Kunlavut Vitidsarn. His scheduled round-of-32 contest against Loh Kean Yew is set for September 26.