Lakshya Sen’s impressive run at the All England Open came to an end on a heartbreaking note in the men’s singles final in Birmingham on Sunday. It wasn’t the day for Lakshya Sen as the Indian shuttler lost to Lin Chun-yi with a scoreline of 15–21, 20–22.
Lakshya became the second Indian man, after his mentor and legend Prakash Padukone, to reach the All England final twice; however, he also became the first Indian to lose the final twice.
Lakshya Sen vs Lin Chun-yi Highlights: Lakshya Sen’s Gruelling Journey to the All England Open Final After Marathon Matches
Chun-yi started the match strongly and quickly built an early lead in the opening game. Lakshya tried to fight his way back into the contest, but signs of fatigue began to show. The Chinese Taipei player kept the pressure on and eventually took the first game 21–15.
While the All England Open came to a painful end for Lakshya Sen, the night belonged to Lin Chun-yi. With this big win, Lin became the first men’s singles player from Chinese Taipei to win the prestigious tournament.
For India, the wait for another All England champion continues. The last Indian to lift the prestigious trophy is still Pullela Gopichand, who achieved this feat in 2001.
Lakshya Sen had a demanding run before reaching the final. He had already spent more than five hours on court during the tournament.
His campaign began with a big upset as he knocked out world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the opening round. In the semifinal, despite cramps and blisters, Lakshya battled past Victor Lai in a thrilling 97-minute match. The physical toll, however, was visible during the early stages of the final.
Lin Chun-yi Dominates Early Exchanges Against Lakshya Sen
Talking about the game, Lin Chun-yi started strongly, racing to a 6-2 lead with a series of powerful smashes. Lakshya responded with some strong defence and a clever drop shot to close the gap to 8-7, but Lin still held an 11-9 lead at the interval.
After the break, Lin raised the tempo with quick movement and attacking shots to extend his lead to 14-9. Although Lakshya showed brief resistance, Lin’s consistency and smart reading of the game helped him stay in control of the opening game.
Lakshya Sen Reflects On The Defeat
After the match, Lakshya Sen shared his thoughts on the closely fought final and admitted he had mixed emotions following the defeat.
“Yes, I think it was a good match today. The first set was… I think he was a better player, but in the second game I could have finished off better. But I’m happy with the way I played throughout the week. Pretty emotional right now, thinking about the match. But overall, lots of positives to take.”
Lakshya also spoke about the physical challenges he faced during the tournament, especially after a tough semifinal where he dealt with cramps and a blister on his foot.
“Not ideal, to be honest. But when I was playing on court, I was not thinking about anything but to give my best on court. Yesterday I was struggling a bit with cramps, but I had some time to recover. And I couldn’t recover 100%. Towards the end of the week, all the players are tired with 4-5 matches. It could have been better, but it is what is.”
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