Lakshya Sen’s spirited run at the All England Open ended shortly before history on Sunday (March 8, 2026) as the Indian shuttler finished runners-up after losing the men’s singles final to Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi in Birmingham.
The defeat meant that India’s wait for an All England men’s singles champion continued, with only two Indians, Prakash Padukone in 1980 and P. Gopi Chand in 2001, having previously lifted the prestigious title.
For Lakshya, it was his second heartbreak in the sport’s oldest tournament. Four years after finishing runners-up in 2022 following a loss to then-world No.1 Viktor Axelsen, the 24-year-old came agonizingly close to the crown again after putting together one of the most impressive runs of his career into the draw.
The 24-year-old reached the final riding the momentum of a week that had already featured a stunning upset over world No.1 Shi Yuqi, a brave comeback against Ng Ka Long Angus, a tactically secured victory over Li Shifeng and a marathon semi-final triumph over Canada’s Victor Lai.
dethroning the king
The week began with a declaration of victory.
Four years ago, in the All England final, Lakshya was stopped by world number one Viktor Axelsen. In 2026, he began his campaign against another World No. 1 and defending champion, Shi Yuqi.
Lakshya produced one of the biggest surprises of the first round. He cruised to a thrilling 23-21, 19-21, 21-17 victory to eliminate the top seed in the first round in a gripping contest that lasted 78 minutes. It was his earliest exit from a tournament since the Thailand Open in 2023.
The world No. 12 relied heavily on explosive forearm-driven strikes and deceptive wrist work, repeatedly unnerving the world champion and forcing him to retreat.
What stood out the most was how Lakshya turned Yuqi’s own strength against her. Widely regarded as one of the most deceptive players on tour, the Chinese bowler repeatedly found himself on the wrong foot as Sen used subtle doll disguises and late changes of direction to manipulate rallies. The Indian also controlled the frontcourt intelligently, using delicate net play to achieve lifts before unleashing hard, steep strokes that steadily increased the pressure on the top seed.
After the loss, Yuqi admitted that he was not at his best physically and revealed that he had entered the tournament with limited preparation.
The second round presented another challenger: Ng Ka Long Angus from Hong Kong.
Angus had historically troubled Lakshya, entering the contest with a 3-0 lead over the Indian. The Hong Kong bowler signaled his intention from the start, facing Sen in a first play that extended beyond 40 shots.
Lakshya got off to a brighter start, pocketing the opening game 21-19 and carrying that momentum into the second. But as coach Vimal Kumar had said, “Angus is not easy at all,” the veteran relied on his deceptive overhead and rally-building ability, drawing Sen into prolonged rallies before capitalizing on the Indian’s impatience to score five consecutive points and swing the game back in his favor.
“He made a solid comeback in the second set. And I just didn’t play freely towards the end of the second set. And I just gave him too many easy shots for him to kill. But I was prepared in the third set, to go all out…” Lakshya told BWF.
And that response was emphatic. What could have become a nervous battle lasted barely longer than necessary. Lakshya strengthened his defence, repeatedly driving Angus deep into the backhand corner and dictating plays from mid-court. He sealed the match 21-10 in the decider, ensuring that the brief wobble in the second game cost him nothing more than a few extra minutes on the court.
Tactical precision
The quarterfinal against China’s Li Shifeng required a different kind of solution. Unlike Angus, who relied on determination and long rallies, Shifeng is built to dominate the court and dictate play from the net with explosive attacks. Instead of facing him in that space, Lakshya opted to stretch the court.
He repeatedly pushed the shuttlecock deep into the back corner of Shifeng’s forehand, an area that disrupted the Chinese player’s preferred frontcourt position and forced him to chase from awkward angles.
Lakshya’s plan in the first game was clear: keep the shuttle traveling to Shifeng’s deep right corner. A combination of pushing, falling, lifting and hitting from that flank helped him take the game 21-13.
Shifeng briefly threatened to rally in the second with powerful shots and better control at the net, but Lakshya refused to rush rallies. By being patient and keeping the shuttlecock in play, he gradually forced the Chinese player into mistakes, several of them wild attempts to force the attacking winners from difficult positions. The Indian then pulled away late to close the game 21-16 and conclude the match in straight sets.
The semi-final against Canadian Victor Lai turned into a grueling duel that tested Lakshya’s stamina as much as his badminton.
Lai is not known for his impressive winners, but for something more grueling: his ability to give back almost everything. Rally after rally, the Canadian kept the wheel alive, forcing Lakshya to work tirelessly to score points. The exchanges became increasingly longer, turning the contest into an exhausting battle of resistance.
At one point in the decisive game, the pair put together an extraordinary 86-shot play, a moment that summed up the physical demands of the game. When the match stretched beyond the hour mark and finally reached 97 minutes, both players were visibly exhausted.
Lakshya’s fight was evident in the final change of sides in the decider. Dealing with a blister on his foot and leg cramps, he lay near his bench while his support staff massaged his tense muscles. The chair umpire even told him that he had to continue playing or retire according to the rules.
But Lakshya kept going.
“Going into the third set, I could feel cramps in my legs and I didn’t know if I could make it to the end. I was just trying to fight through every point,” Lakshya said later.
Realizing that prolonged rallies would only make the cramps worse, Lakshya modified his approach in the final stages. Instead of engaging in endless exchanges with Lai’s stubborn defense, he began attacking earlier in the exchanges, looking to finish points quickly.
Fighting fatigue and pain, Lakshya closed the match 21-16, 18-21, 21-15; Even Lai admitted that the Indian was “mentally stronger.” He earned his place in the All England final for the second time in his career.
without respite
Waiting on the other side was Taiwanese Lin Chun-Yi, a left-hander known for his powerful attacking game and sharp angles.
Lin managed to get ahead in the first game, while Lakshya, still suffering from fatigue from the previous day’s semi-final marathon, even needed treatment on his shoulder and leg during the interval.
The Indian finalist managed to find his rhythm in the second game.
His cross crashes into Lin’s backhand and he returns sharply to stretch the Taiwanese diagonally across the court and with returns down the line he took a five-point lead at the halfway point. Lin looked visibly bewildered and paced nervously up and down the court, conceding three or four easy points.
The contest reached its peak at 14-14 when the two traded relentless attacking blows and desperate defensive recoveries in the longest play of the match, a stunning 40-plus shot exchange that saw both players fire what looked like bullets across the net.
Sen continued to target Lin’s backhand with cross-court punches whenever he needed to regain control, but the final few bars turned into a harrowing shootout. With the score set at 20-20 and both players attacking at full speed, Lin gained the advantage and was one point away from the title before Lakshya’s return went wide.
“To be able to play in this tournament and win it is a dream come true,” Lin said after the match. He became the first player from Taiwan to win the All England men’s singles title.
After the match, Lakshya admitted that he was not in ideal physical condition.
“But when I was playing on the court, I didn’t think about anything other than giving my best. Yesterday I had a little cramps, but I had time to recover. I couldn’t recover 100%. Towards the end of the week, all the players were tired with four or five games. It could have been better, but this is what I had. I gave it my all,” he said.
Reflecting on the final itself, Lakshya added: “The first set… I think I was a better player, but in the second game I could have finished better. But I’m happy with the way I played all week. I feel excited right now, thinking about the match. But overall, there are a lot of positives.”
Despite defeat in the final, Lakshya’s run in Birmingham reaffirmed his status among the world’s elite. The Indian, ranked No. 12 in the world entering the tournament, had arrived without the favorite tag, but what followed was one of the most impressive campaigns of his career. The defeat of world number one Shi Yuqi and a semi-final performance that tested every ounce of his stamina. For now, the wait continues for an Indian men’s singles champion at the All England tournament. But if this tournament showed anything, it is that Lakshya Sen continues to be one of the players most capable of ending that wait.
And maybe soon.
