New Delhi: It’s only been a couple of days since Lakshya Sen’s inspired run at the All England Championships ended at the final hurdle and the talented shuttler is still understandably hurting. It was his second All England final, and as was the case in 2022 when Lakshya lost to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, he fell short against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in straight games.
Lakshya, however, would do well not to assess his performance on the evidence of that final alone. Although “disheartened for being so near yet so far,” he should draw a lot of confidence from his campaign that saw him knock out world No.1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi of China in the opening round. Sixth-ranked Li Shi-feng — the reigning Asian Games champion — fell in the quarters before Lakshya battled cramp and blisters to prevail in a gruelling 97-minute semi-final against Canada’s Victor Lai.
“It’s been a good week overall, but also an emotional week. Getting into the final for the second time and not winning feels a bit disheartening. But overall, if I look back at the tournament, some good wins, a good run and the way I played, I think there’s something to look forward to in the coming tournaments,” the 24-year-old said.
While Lakshya’s career trajectory so far has been one of unfulfilled potential, the two All England finals bookend a fine mix of results that speak of a steady growth curve. It’s not meteoric — unlike that of his contemporaries Kunlavut Vitidsarn or Kodai Naraoka — but a Commonwealth Games title, a Thomas Cup win, and a fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics indicate that a few lessons have indeed been learnt from that 2022 loss to Axelsen.
“In that 2022 final, at some point I knew that the match was slipping away from me. I was just trying to see how far I could go and was just enjoying the experience without any expectation. This time I had the belief throughout the tournament that I can win (the title). Having come this close, I am proud but also disheartened that I couldn’t get the final win,” Lakshya said.
“Overall, I am happy with the way I played throughout the week despite tough matches. Playing long matches mean the fatigue builds up towards the end.” Eventually, fatigue did play a huge part as Lakshya had little left in the tank in the final.
Lakshya chalked out a gameplan in consultation with his coaches and father for the final against Lin Chun-yi, but the rigours of the excruciating semi-final were real.
“That match (semi-final) was physically challenging. I was struggling a bit with cramp and blisters. So that day it was more about mentally trying to fight the cramp and just taking it one point at a time. The cramps were quite bad and I had to give up a few rallies because they were getting quite long,” he recalled.
