Lakshya Sen came agonisingly 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 Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei on Sunday.The 24-year-old shuttler from Almora produced a spirited fight in the summit clash but eventually lost 15-21, 20-22 in a gripping 57-minute encounter filled with fast rallies and aggressive shot-making.With the victory, Lin created 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’s wait for another All England men’s singles champion continues. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have lifted the title. In the past, Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) had also finished as runners-up, while Lakshya has now reached the final twice, having also ended as runner-up in 2022.The Indian had entered the final in excellent form after registering notable victories earlier in the tournament over world No.1 Shi Yu Qi and world No.6 Li Shi Feng.However, his path to the final had been physically demanding. Lakshya endured a tough semifinal against Canada’s Victor Lai that lasted 97 minutes, during which he struggled with severe cramps and blisters on his foot.By the time the final began, Lakshya had already spent five hours and 16 minutes on court during the tournament, nearly an hour and a half more than Lin, and the accumulated fatigue appeared to affect him in the latter stages.The Indian stepped onto the court with strapping on both thighs and was slow to get going, quickly falling behind 0-3 as Lin launched an aggressive start.The left-handed Taiwanese player repeatedly attacked the lines with powerful smashes, building a 6-2 advantage while Lakshya searched for rhythm.Gradually, the Indian began to settle, combining sharp smashes with delicate net play to narrow the gap to 7-8 and put Lin under pressure with quick bursts of attack.Lin, however, maintained a slim lead at the mid-game interval and soon extended it with the help of a fortunate net cord and a sequence of jumping smashes that pushed Lakshya onto the defensive.His ability to disguise straight and cross-court smashes with identical preparation made it difficult for Lakshya to anticipate the direction of attack, allowing Lin to surge to an 18-13 lead.Despite determined retrievals and accurate pushes towards the backline from the Indian, Lin wrapped up the opening game in 24 minutes.Lakshya struggled to find his rhythm at the start of the second game as well and trailed 3-4 after a couple of wide returns.Soon, however, the momentum shifted.Taking advantage of a few unforced errors from Lin, Lakshya moved ahead 7-4 and later stretched the lead to 9-4 as the Taiwanese briefly lost control of his length.The Indian held a three-point advantage at the interval and extended it further to 13-9 with a precise return that landed right on the line.Lin then responded strongly with a series of powerful smashes, gradually closing the gap before drawing level at 14-14.What followed was a thrilling phase of play, highlighted by an extraordinary 46-shot rally that brought loud cheers from the spectators.Lin moved ahead 16-15 with a cleverly disguised drop shot, but Lakshya answered immediately with a thunderous 321 kmph smash to level the score.The Indian then edged two points ahead at 18-16 after executing a sliced smash and forcing an error from his opponent.Lin once again struck back with two fierce smashes to bring the score to 18-18.With the tension rising, Lin earned the first championship point after capitalising on a weak return, but Lakshya showed tremendous resilience to save it through a remarkable defensive exchange.At 20-all, the contest entered a dramatic phase. Lakshya battled through another exhausting rally but sent a shot wide, giving Lin a second match point.Moments later, Lin sealed the biggest win of his career when Lakshya pushed another return wide, bringing the intense final to a close.
