new Delhi: World Championships bronze medalist Lakshya Sen’s scintillating performance at the All England Open Championships ended in a 10-21, 15-21 loss to defending Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the men’s singles final in Birmingham on Sunday. Axelsen brought up his A-game to win his second title today as he overcame Sen in an uphill battle.
Sen started the final on the back foot as Axelsen was in top gear from the start of the match. It seemed that Sen was running out of ideas against the world No. The Danish star dominated the Indian shuttler to win the first game 21-10 in 22 minutes and then beat his opponent 21-15 in the second set to register an easy victory. ,
The 20-year-old Almora Lad could have become the third Indian shuttler to win the coveted final of the world’s oldest badminton tournament – the All England Open.
proud of you kshalakshya_sen, You have shown remarkable patience and tenacity. You put up a spirited fight. Best wishes for your future endeavours. I am sure you will continue to scale new heights of success.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 20 March 2022
So far, only two Indian shuttlers have won the All England final – Prakash Padukone in 1980 and Pullela Gopichand in 2001.
Runner-up finished. One of the best signs is that you are consistently reaching the semi-finals. the Gladiator kshalakshya_sen , Congratulations @VictorAxelsen To Win. @BAI_Media #badmintononvoot good coverage. pic.twitter.com/FaA56Fd7v2
– Raj Kothari (Ajraj Kothari) 20 March 2022
Superb form helped Lakshya clinch a bronze medal at the World Championships, win his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open in January and then finish as runner-up at the German Open.
Earlier on Saturday, the World Championships bronze medalist defeated Malaysia’s Li Ji Jia 21-13, 12-21, 21-19 in a thrilling semi-final bout to reach the final of the prestigious All England Championships. It was Lakshya’s second consecutive win against Li Zi Jia. He had also defeated the star Malaysian shuttler in the 2016 India International Series.
The match lasted for one hour and 16 minutes. With this win, Lakshya became the first Indian male player to reach an All England final in 21 years. The last time an Indian made it to the All England final was in 2015 when Saina Nehwal finished runner-up.
Lakshya’s win over Li Zi Jia made him the fifth Indian to qualify for the All England final. He joined the elite list with Prakash Nath (1947), Prakash Padukone (1980 and 1981), Pullela Gopichand (2001) and Saina Nehwal (2015).