With Lakshya Sen unable to retrieve the powerful smash, Lin Chun-yi fell to the floor in delight. The world No.11 had not just battled Lakshya but his nerves as well to clinch the men’s singles crown at the All England Open Badminton Championships, the biggest title of his career yet.
At the other end was Lakshya. Hands on knees, staring at the floor, still digesting a second loss in the final of the prestigious Super 1000 event after a 2022 runner-up finish. But the exhausted world No.12 knew he had given it all despite his tired body in the 15-21, 20-22 loss at Birmingham on Sunday. It was never going to be easy after that brutal semi-final against Canada’s Victor Lai that lasted an hour and 37 minutes and so it proved.
“It was a good match. He was the better player in the first game, but in the second I could have finished off better. I’m happy with the way I played throughout the week. I’m feeling emotional right now, thinking about the match. But overall, lots of positive things,” said Lakshya.
Coming into the final of the $1.45 million tournament, Lakshya had spent five hours and 16 minutes on court in the previous four matches, a full 90 minutes more than his Chinese Taipei opponent. In the marathon semi-final, Lakshya also endured a right-foot blister, a cut in his playing hand and cramp in his legs before somehow managing to pull through.
His lack of energy was clearly visible throughout the match, even more after the presentation when he limped out of the arena. Asked about his physical condition, Lakshya replied: “Not ideal. But when I was playing, I was not thinking about anything but to give my best. Yesterday I was struggling a bit with cramp, but I had some time to recover. I couldn’t recover 100%. This is what I had.”
To beat Lin, Lakshya did not just have a physical battle on his hands but a mental one too, having lost all four previous meetings to the 26-year-old. The left-hander’s angles presented problems as well.
The start was anything but spectacular from Lakshya as Lin controlled the proceedings. Lin was brilliant with his cross-court smashes, targeting the lines, easily putting the shuttle beyond the Indian’s reach.
Full of confidence, Lin toyed with Lakshya as he combined superb attacks with a solid defence to win points at ease. His line calls were precise and cross-court smashes showed he was in flow as he always stayed ahead in the first game. Lin went for diagonal shots, pushed Lakshya to a corner before going for winners on the empty court. Basic badminton tactics but applied to perfection.
The southpaw attacked early, kept the tempo high and made Lakshya work for the shots as the Indian was barely able to play his natural game. The 24-year-old came up with some explosive smashes but also made errors that handed the first game to Lin.
Lakshya returned with a much better display in the second game. Facing a must-win situation, he disguised his shots, inducing errors from Lin as he won six points from 3-4 to lead 9-4.
The Indian was proactive, taking the initiative, employing jump smashes as he stepped up the pace. Lakshya went for his shots and was rewarded for his bravery as he led 11-8 at the interval. It was apparent that Lin, only a few points away from his career’s biggest title, was struggling with nerves. The aggression and sharpness of the first game had gone missing.
But he didn’t give up. Eager not to take the match into decider, Lin started fighting back. Some scintillating down-the-line smashes made sure he kept it tight before finally levelling at 14-all.
The game became much faster as the match progressed with flatter exchanges replacing back court exchanges. Both started making errors as desperation replaced sensible shots but Lakshya was clearly running out of steam and Lin managed to reach championship point at 20-19. Lakshya saved the point but wasn’t able to save Lin’s second chance, drawing the contest to an end in 57 minutes.
“Lakshya wasn’t able to inject his usual pace at the start and looked a little slow in his movements. But what impressed me the most was his intent — he kept digging in and fighting for every point. That resilience has been the biggest positive in his game this entire week,” Lakshya’s coach U Vimal Kumar said.
“It was clear that sheer muscle fatigue was holding him back. After the physically demanding matches he had played, his body had taken a toll. Lin is probably the most attacking player in world badminton today and Lakshya still pushed him hard. Even though he struggled at times to raise the pace because of fatigue, he never stopped competing and gave it everything he had on court.”
