Lakshya Sen is the fifth Indian to reach the final of the prestigious badminton tournament
Lakshya Sen is the fifth Indian to reach the final of the prestigious badminton tournament
Lakshya Sen’s dream at the All England Championships came to an end with a straight game loss to world number one and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles final on Sunday, continuing India’s 21-year long wait for the coveted trophy.
After four days of sensational badminton, the 20-year-old Sen stumbled to the pinnacle of history as he made too many mistakes to lose 10-21, 15-21 to former champion Axelsen in a one-sided summit clash that lasted 53 minutes. At Barclaycard Arena.
Lakshya Sen competes against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark during his men’s singles final match at the All England Open Badminton Championships on March 20, 2022 in Birmingham, England. photo credit: AP
“I think that was the strategy. I played with him last week but today he looked strong in attack and defence as well. He was really patient and played really well,” Sen said after the match.
“In the opening game, I made a lot of mistakes which cost me the game. I was there in the second game but again he was so strong for me that I couldn’t put the shuttle down.”
On Saturday, Sen became the fifth Indian after Prakash Nath (1947), Prakash Padukone (1980, 1981), Pullela Gopichand (2001) and Saina Nehwal (2015) to defeat defending champion Li Zi to reach the final of the prestigious tournament. Lived in the gruesome semi-finals.
A week earlier, Sen had scored his first win over former world champion Axelsen on his way to his final appearance at the German Open, but on Sunday he could not keep up his skills as his highly arch-rival claimed his fifth overall victory. Having returned the favor. against Indian.
“There was a lot of pressure before the match but when I was on the court it was just another match for me. I played a really important match yesterday and it gave me confidence but the credit for playing a perfect game goes to him.”
While 2020 winner Axelsen claimed the men’s singles title for the second time, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi defeated South Korea’s An Seyong 21-15, 21-15 in the final to win the women’s singles title.
Viktor Axelsen of Denmark celebrates on the podium with the trophy after winning the men’s singles final of the All England Open 2022 at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, Britain, on March 20, 2022. photo credit: Reuters
Sen could not hold on to his attack and with the help of some precise smashes with Axelsen, he fell back early to lead 6-0.
An aggressive return from serve helped Sen break the run of the game, but he could not find the opening as Axelsen kept the Indian away from the net, keeping him at the baseline with his return.
The 61-shot long rally ended with Axelsen punishing Sen for his weak lift as the Dane held a massive 11-2 lead with a blow at the mid-game interval.
A few unforced errors from Axelsen cost Sen two points and the Indian made it 5-13 with a cross-court smash, a gap that proved too big to bridge as the Dane had 11 game-point opportunities with the smash.
Sen saved one and gave Axelsen a 1-0 lead before sending the next wide.
After a change of sides, Sen tried to engage his opponent in energy-saving rallies, but he could not get the length right and allowed the Dane to take a 4–2 lead.
Sen managed to reduce it to 5-6, but Axelsen used his height and reach to make some powerful smashes to make it 8-4.
The Dane continued to put the young Indian under pressure with his angle, length and accuracy to take a decisive 11-5 advantage at intervals.
Sen found no way to breach the defense of his arch rival, who was in complete control.
Sen, trailing 10-17, tried to involve his opponent in long rallies. The Indian won the 70-shot rally after Axelsen made a wrong decision at the baseline. However, there were soon eight match point opportunities for Axelsen, with Sen going to the net.
The Indian saved three match points before the shuttle was sent over the net as a celebration of Axelsen.
Despite the defeat, it has been a credible performance for Sen, who is still in his early days at elite level badminton.
“Ever since the pandemic happened, I have played really good badminton. I have to keep playing at the top level and now I know what it is like to play in the big circuit. Every match is important and I have to be prepared and that gives me a lot of confidence.
A product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, Sen has been in sensational form over the past six months. He secured his first World Championship bronze in December, before winning his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open in January and runner-up at the German Open last week.
Asked about upcoming events, Sen said he would play the Swiss Open and Korea Open after that.