Lakshya Sen denied historic All England title, goes to Lin Chun-Yi in thrilling final | Badminton News – The Times of India

Lakshya Sen came agonizingly close to ending India’s long wait for a men’s singles title at the All England Open Badminton Championships, but fell short in the final against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi on Sunday.The 24-year-old shuttler from Almora produced a spirited fight in the summit clash, but ultimately lost 15-21, 20-22 in a gripping 57-minute encounter full of fast rallies and aggressive shots.

With the victory, Lin made history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to win the men’s singles crown at the prestigious tournament.Lakshya’s defeat also meant that India awaits a new All England champion in men’s singles. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have won the title. In the past Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) had also finished second, while Lakshya has now reached the final twice, having also finished second in 2022.The Indian had entered the final in excellent form after recording notable wins over world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi and world No. 6 Li Shi Feng earlier in the tournament.However, his path to the final had been physically difficult. Lakshya endured a tough semi-final against Canadian Victor Lai that lasted 97 minutes, during which he suffered severe cramps and blisters on his foot.By the time the final started, Lakshya had already spent five hours and sixteen minutes on court during the tournament, almost an hour and a half more than Lin, and the built-up fatigue seemed to affect him in the latter stages.The Indian stepped onto the court with both thighs strapped and started slowly, soon falling behind 0-3 as Lin launched an aggressive start.The left-handed Taiwanese player repeatedly attacked the lines with powerful strikes and built a 6-2 lead as Lakshya searched for rhythm.Gradually, the Indian began to settle down, combining sharp smashes with delicate net play to close the gap to 7-8 and pressuring Lin with quick attacking punches.However, Lin maintained a slim lead midway through the match and soon expanded it with the help of a lucky net rope and a series of leaping strikes that put Lakshya on the defensive.His ability to disguise straight and cross-court smashes with identical preparation made it difficult for Lakshya to anticipate the direction of the attack, allowing Lin to surge to an 18-13 lead.Despite determined returns and precise efforts towards the backline from the Indian, Lin wrapped up the opener in 24 minutes.Lakshya also struggled to find his rhythm at the start of the second game and found himself trailing 3-4 after a few wide returns.However, the momentum soon changed.Lakshya took advantage of a pair of unforced errors from Lin to move ahead 7-4 and later extended the lead to 9-4 when the Taiwanese briefly lost control of his length.The Indian had a three-point lead at the break and extended it to 13-9 with a precise return that landed right on the line.Lin then responded strongly with a series of powerful blows, gradually closing the gap before leveling at 14-14.What followed was an exciting period of play, culminating in an extraordinary 46-shot rally that drew loud cheers from the spectators.Lin took the lead 16-15 with a cleverly disguised drop shot, but Lakshya immediately responded with a thunderous 201mph to level the score.The Indian then moved two points ahead at 18-16 after executing a slice smash and forcing an error from his opponent.Lin hit back again with two fierce strikes to make it 18-18.As the tension mounted, Lin earned the first championship point after capitalizing on a weak return, but Lakshya showed immense resilience to save it through a remarkable defensive interplay.At the age of 20, the competition entered a dramatic phase. Lakshya fought through another grueling rally but shot wide, giving Lin a second match point.Moments later, Lin achieved the biggest win of his career when Lakshya went wide again, ending the intense final.