India’s Ayush Shetty produced the first major upset of the Malaysia Open on Tuesday, stunning Paris Olympics bronze medalist Lee Zii Jia in straight games. Shetty, the reigning US Open Super 300 champion, needed just 39 minutes to secure a 21-12, 21-17 victory over the home favorite in Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, world No. 13 Lakshya Sen opened his 2026 campaign with a gritty 21-16, 15-21, 21-14 win over Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh. Sen utilized aggressive back-court play and decisive net movements to close out the match in 70 minutes, surviving a mid-game slump where Teh briefly seized momentum.
Lakshya Sen enters the new season following a successful 2025 finish, with an Australian Open title and a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open. Against Teh, Sen raced to an 8-3 lead in the first game but had to recover after trailing 8-10 at the interval.
After dropping the second game to the world No. 21, Sen adjusted to the conditions in the decider to seal the win. He is scheduled to face Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in the round of 16. Shetty faces an even steeper challenge in the next round, where he will run into China's top seed, Shi Yu Qi.
