India’s Lakshya Sen (AP/PTI) Lakshya Sen came agonizingly close to ending India’s long wait for the men’s singles title at the All England Open Badminton Championships but fell short in the final against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi on Sunday.The 24-year-old shuttler from Almora put up a spirited fight at the summit but ultimately lost 15-21, 20-22 in a gripping 57-minute encounter full of quick rallies and aggressive shooting.
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With the win, Lin made history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to win the men’s singles at the prestigious tournament.Lakshya’s defeat also meant that India’s wait for the next All England men’s singles champion continues. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to lift the title. Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) have also finished as runners-up in the past, while Lakshya has now reached the final twice and also finished as runner-up in 2022.The Indian entered the final in excellent form after recording remarkable victories earlier in the tournament over world number one Shi Yu Qi and world number one Li Shi Feng.However, his journey to the final was physically demanding. Lakshya endured a tough semi-final against Canada’s Victor Lai that lasted 97 minutes, during which he battled severe cramps and blisters on his foot.By the time the finals began, Lakshya had already spent five hours and 16 minutes on court during the tournament, nearly an hour and a half more than Lin, and the accumulated fatigue seemed to affect him in the latter stages.The Indian entered the court with straps on both thighs and slowly got going, quickly falling behind 0-3 as Lin made an aggressive start.The left-hander from Taiwan repeatedly attacked the lines with powerful smashes, building a 6-2 advantage as Lakshya searched for a rhythm.Gradually, the Indian began to settle, combining sharp smashes with fine net play to narrow the gap to 7-8 and put Lin under pressure with quick attacks.However, Lin maintained a slim lead at the mid-game break and soon extended it with a lucky string of net and a series of bouncy smashes that pushed Lakshya on the defensive.His ability to disguise straight and cross smashes with the same preparation made it difficult for Lakshya to predict the direction of the attack, allowing Lin to take an 18-13 lead.Despite determined fetches and precise moves towards the backline from the Indian, Lin wrapped up the opening game in 24 minutes.Lakshya also struggled to find his rhythm at the start of the second game and finished 3-4 after some wide returns.However, the pace soon changed.Lakshya took advantage of several unforced errors by Lin to move ahead 7-4 and later stretched his lead to 9-4 when the Taiwanese briefly lost control of his length.The Indian held a three-point lead at the break and increased it to 13:9 with an accurate return that landed directly on the line.Lin then responded strongly with a series of powerful smashes, gradually closing the gap before reaching level at 14-14.A thrilling phase of the game followed, highlighted by an extraordinary 46-run rally that drew loud cheers from the crowd.Lin made it 16-15 with a cleverly disguised drop shot, but Lakshya immediately responded with a blistering smash at 321km/h to level the scores.The Indian then led by two points at 18-16 after executing a cut smash and forcing an error from her opponent.Lin struck again with two fierce smashes to make the score 18-18.With the tension building, Lin earned the first championship point after capitalizing on a weak return, but Lakshya showed tremendous resilience to save it with a remarkable defensive exchange.In the twenties, the competition entered a dramatic phase. Lakshya fought off another grueling rally but sent a shot wide, earning Lin a second match point.Moments later, Lin sealed the biggest win of his career when Lakshya edged another return wide to end an intense final.
