It was clear that sheer muscle fatigue was holding him back. After the physically demanding matches he had already played, his body had understandably taken a toll, says coach Vimal Kumar

Lakshya Sen went down fighting to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi 21-15, 20-22 in the final of the All England Open on Sunday. He was second-time unlucky, having finished with a runner-up medal in 2022 as well.

This time, Lakshya looked determined to win the prestigious championship and emerged as the giant-slayer. He took out defending champion and world No.1 Shi Yuqi from China and then pulled off another big upset win against China’s Li Shi Feng.

On Saturday, he played his heart out against Victor Lai in a 97-minute marathon contest that took a toll on his body. Lakshya was fighting cramps and blisters on his foot even as he pushed himself to beat Lai and make it to the final. Add to it the long matches he has played, and his team was fighting against time to get him battle-ready.

Recovering from such physically draining contests takes time, and Lakshya was struggling with his movements in the first game against left-handed Lin.

Lin, with his sharp attacks, is one of the most attacking players on the circuit and came into the final on the back of a 4-0 record against Lakshya. Lin had the better of the early exchanges, but soon Lakshya came into his own, creating opportunities. Lin took the first game, but Lakshya bounced back in the second game, producing some stunning strokes. He was on the offensive and showed positive intent, taking a 10-5 lead. Lin too came back hard, and it was an engrossing contest from there on.

At 14-14, Lakshya won a brilliant rally when he showed great anticipation in retrieving even body smashes. It was tense out there, and Lin got a match point with a smash. Lakshya went all out to save the match point but just couldn’t save the second match point.

“Lakshya wasn’t able to inject his usual pace at the start and looked a little slow in his movements. But what impressed me the most was his intent—he kept digging in and fighting for every point. That resilience has been the biggest positive in his game this entire week,” said Lakshya’s coach Vimal Kumar. “It was clear that sheer muscle fatigue was holding him back. After the physically demanding matches he had already played, his body had understandably taken a toll.”

“Lin is probably the most attacking player in world badminton today, and Lakshya still pushed him hard. Even though he struggled at times to raise the pace because of the fatigue, he never stopped competing and gave it everything he had on court,” said Vimal Kumar.

Lakshya will carry plenty of confidence for the BWF World Championships at home in August, and the Asian Games in September.

“Lakshya’s team can be very proud of what he tried to do today, and I believe the entire badminton fraternity will feel the same. I am extremely proud of his effort. In spite of the odds and the physical challenges his body presented, he fought with tremendous courage and determination,” said Vimal Kumar, the former international.

EOM