Lakshya Sen, at 24 years old, secured a spot in the men’s singles final of the All-England Open badminton championship for the second time by defeating Canada’s Victor Lai in a tough semifinal match in Birmingham. Sen, mentored by Prakash Padukone, faced a challenging battle against Lai but managed to emerge victorious with a score of 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 after an intense hour and 37 minutes.
Sen’s mentor, Prakash Padukone, a former All-England champion, had reached the final twice in the early 1980s and won the title in his debut appearance. The semifinal match between Sen and Lai was a test of physical endurance, with both players engaging in lengthy rallies exceeding 50 strokes.
Despite facing blisters, Sen displayed resilience and strategic play to clinch the opening game after a close battle. Lai fought back in the second game, taking a lead at the mid-game interval, but Sen managed to level the score at 16-16 before eventually securing victory in the decider.
In the final, Lakshya Sen will compete against Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei, who defeated second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the semifinals. Sen aims to become the third Indian player to win the prestigious All-England Open men’s singles title, following in the footsteps of Padukone and Pullela Gopichand.
