India’s defending champion, Lakshya Sen, faced defeat in the men’s singles final of the Dutch Open 2021 against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew. The world No 25 and top seed in the tournament, Sen, succumbed to the 41st-ranked Yew with a score of 12-21, 16-21 in a 36-minute match. Despite his loss, Sen had a notable journey to the final, defeating opponents such as Xiaodong Sheng, Bernardo Atilano, Jia Heng Teh, and Julien Carraggi in the preceding rounds. The 20-year-old Indian had previously clinched the men’s singles title in the 2019 edition of the Dutch Open.
In the same tournament, other Indian participants in the men’s singles category, including Ajay Jayaram, Siril Verma, and Rahul Chittaboina, were eliminated in the opening round. Priyanshu Rajawat, the winner of Ukraine International, suffered a first-round defeat, and Aryamann Tandon couldn’t progress beyond the qualifying rounds due to the challenges presented in the 2020 edition caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap demonstrated the best performance among Indians, reaching the semi-finals before losing to top seed Abigail Holden of England in the last four with a score of 21-17, 21-9. Ira Sharma faced a defeat in the quarter-finals against Hungary’s Vivien Sandorhazi, with a score of 19-21, 23-21, 15-21, following her victory against compatriot Ananya Praveen in the round of 16. Samiya Imad Farooqui and Keyura Mopati were also eliminated in the round of 16 and the first round of the main draw, respectively.