Injured Lakshya Sen Grits His Way Past Victor Lai In 97-Minute Epic To Enter All England Open Final

Blisters on his feet, blood on the court and a stutter in his gait. Nothing fazed Lakshya Sen enough on Saturday (March 7) as the 12th-ranked Indian gritted his way past an inspired Victor Lai of Canada. After a marathon 97-minute saga, Sen emerged victorious 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 to bulldoze into the All England Open final.

In the title showdown, 2022 runner-up Sen will meet Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-Yi, who defeated second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 in the first semi-final. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) are the only Indians to have won the All England title.

ALSO READ: Lakshya Sen Vs Victor Lai Highlights

The 24-year-old from Almora has had a remarkable journey in the tournament so far. He packed off world number one Shi Yuqi 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 in the opening round, before beating Ng Ka Long Angus 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 to enter the quarter-finals.

Sen then got the better of China's sixth-seeded Li Shifeng by a 21-13, 21-16 margin to storm into the last four.

How Match Panned Out

On Sunday, Lakshya displayed immense mental strength, robust defence and sparkling strokeplay as he endured punishing rallies, one of them clocking 86 shots, against the dogged Canadian. The contest opened with a bruising 52 shot rally, setting the tone for a gruelling encounter as the two shuttlers probed each other’s defence with high tosses and sudden bursts of pace, staying neck and neck at 3-3 and 4-4.

Victor’s subtle deception mixed with high tosses often caught Lakshya off guard, but the Indian relied on his superior strokeplay to stay level at 8-8. Lakshya moved ahead 10-8 only for the 21-year-old to respond with a straight smash and a fine net shot to restore parity.

Sen Lakshya managed to take a slender one point lead at the break with a forehand drive before stepping up the attack with a series of accurate smashes and clever net play to surge ahead 18-16. He soon grabbed four game points when Lai hit long and miscued another shot, before unleashing a barrage of aggressive strokes to clinch the opening game.

The second game began on an even keel but Lakshya had to briefly leave the court at 3-4 for medical attention to treat blisters on his foot. Once play resumed, Lai rode on immaculate defence to open up a 9-4 lead, highlighted by a draining 59 shot rally that ended with a fortunate net cord.

The Indian slowly clawed back with a mix of drops, deep pushes and strong net play, but Lai maintained a four-point cushion at the interval. Sen fought back to draw level at 16-16 after producing a precise backline return and pouncing at the net.

But Lai kept his composure, regaining the lead at 18-16 before earning two game points and forcing a decider when Lakshya sent a return wide.

In the deciding third game, Lakshya moved to a 4-2 lead before Lai took a medical timeout after bruising his finger during a dive. The 2025 World Championships bronze medallist levelled at 4-4 after resuming, but the momentum swung again when an exhausting 86-shot rally ended with the chair umpire awarding the point to Lakshya after ruling that the shuttle had brushed Lai.

Lakshya resolutely built a cushion as Victor started to show signs of fatigue, moving ahead 9-6 before a sizzling smash and a sharp net exchange took him to an 11-7 lead at the interval. The Indian received treatment for cramps on his thighs during the break and was later shown a yellow card for returning late to the court.

Despite struggling with cramps and visibly hobbling between points, Sen forged ahead to 15-9 as Lai sprayed a return wide. Errors crept in as the contest crossed the one hour 30 minute mark, allowing Lai to narrow the gap to 14-16 while forcing Lakshya to move constantly with high tosses.

But the Indian found another burst of energy, hammering a smash to move to 17-14 before pushing the lead to 18-15 when Lai hit wide. A superb smash then took Lakshya within two points of victory and Lai’s net error handed the Indian five match points. He completed the fantastic win with another pinpoint smash.

(With PTI inputs)