Battling painful blisters on his foot and severe cramps, a gritty Lakshya Sen overcame Canada’s Victor Lai to storm into the final of the All England Championships here on Saturday, moving within one win of ending India’s 25-year wait for the prestigious title.
Marathon 97-minute match
It turned out to be one of the finest matches of his career as Lakshya fought for one hour and 37 minutes before sealing a 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 win over the 21-year-old Lai, who had claimed a surprise bronze at last year’s World Championships in Paris.
It will be Lakshya’s second appearance in the All England final after finishing runner-up at the 2022 edition.
The 24-year old from Almora will now chase history when he takes on World No. 11 Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei in the summit clash on Sunday.
Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) are the only Indians to have won the All England title.
Lakshya displayed immense mental fortitude, resolute defence and precise strokeplay as he endured punishing rallies clocking as many as 86 shots, against the dogged Canadian.
The first game was neck-and-neck for the most part, but through a series of accurate smashes and clever net play, Lakshya surged ahead to win 21-16.
In the second game, Lai rode on his immaculate defence to open up a 9-4 lead, and although the Indian levelled it at 16-16, Lai kept his composure to win 21-18.
Gruelling final game
In the deciding game, Lakshya led at the interval 11-7 despite battling cramps and a bruised finger. Lai narrowed the gap to 18-15, but a brutal smash then took Lakshya within two points of victory and Lai’s net error handed the Indian five match points. He sealed the contest with a thunderous smash.
First
Lakshya Sen and Victor Lai had not faced each other before
Four
No of years since Lakshya Sen’s last appearance at the All England C’ships final
One
No of BWF World Tour finals Lakshya Sen played in 2025; he beat Japan’s Yushi Tanaka at the Indian Open in November
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