Hylo Open: Lakshya Sen Falls in Quarterfinals as Unnati Hooda Storms into Semifinals

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen exited the Hylo Open 2025, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, after losing to fourth seed Alex Lanier of France in straight games in a quarterfinal clash on Friday. Sen, who had also faced Lanier earlier this month at the Denmark Open, suffered his second loss of the year against the French shuttler. Despite a spirited effort to level the match after dropping the opening game, Lakshya eventually fell short, losing 17-21, 21-14, 15-21 in a tightly contested battle that lasted one hour and 14 minutes. The Indian had earlier advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating compatriot Sankar Subramanian in straight games, sealing the win in just 46 minutes. In another men’s singles quarterfinal, Ayush Shetty went down fighting against Kalle Koljonen of Finland in a three-game thriller. Shetty began on a strong note, taking the first game 21-19, but Koljonen bounced back to claim the second 21-12 before wrapping up the decider. Shetty had entered the last eight after a stunning victory over Singapore’s world No. 6 Loh Kean Yew, whom he defeated in straight games in just 34 minutes, marking one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Amid an otherwise disappointing day for India, Unnati Hooda brought some cheer as she stormed into the women’s singles semifinals with a straight-game win over China’s top shuttler Lin Hsian Ti. The 18-year-old, who recently impressed at the BWF Junior World Championships in Guwahati earlier this month, delivered a composed and aggressive performance to prevail 22-20, 21-13 in 47 minutes. Hooda’s victory keeps India’s hopes alive at the Hylo Open, as she looks to continue her fine run in the semifinals