Saarbrucken, Oct. 29 -- India's top-ranked men's shuttler, Lakshya Sen, stormed into the second round of the ongoing Hylo Open 2025 badminton tournament, with a victory over world number seven Christo Popov of France at the Saarlandhalle on Wednesday.

Lakshya, ranked 17 in the world, required just 47 minutes to beat the defending champion Christo Popov in straight games with a 21-16, 22-20 scoreline. The Paris 2024 Olympics semi-finalist and the 2019 Hylo Open champion exchanged phases of dominance with Popov in the opening game.

Popov managed to enjoy a narrow 16-15 lead, but Lakshya upped the ante and clinched six consecutive points to take the first game. In the second game, the 24-year-old managed to save two game points before stan...