Lakshya Sen fought hard but failed to end India’s 25-year wait for an All-England crown, losing to Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in a high-intensity men’s singles final here on Sunday.
Playing in his second All England final after finishing runners-up in 2022, the 24-year-old from Almora fought hard before losing 15-21, 20-22 in a 57-minute match, marked by high-speed rallies and relentless attacking play.
“Yes, I think today was a good match. In the first set, I think he was a better player, but in the second game I could have finished better. But I am happy with the way I played throughout the week,” Lakshya said.
“I feel excited now, thinking about the game. But overall, there were a lot of positive things today,” he added. The win made Lin Chun-yi the first player from Chinese Taipei to win the All-England men’s singles title. Lakshya’s defeat meant that Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have won the prestigious title, while Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) came closest with second-place finishes before Lakshya’s final two appearances. Lakshya had reached the summit clash in impressive form after defeating some of the world’s best players, such as world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi and world No. 6 Li Shi Feng, during the week.
The Indian had endured a grueling road to the final, including a marathon 97-minute semi-final against Canadian Victor Lai during which he battled severe foot cramps and blisters. When he took the court on Sunday, Lakshya had spent five hours and 16 minutes in matches during the tournament – almost an hour and a half more than Lin – and the physical toll seemed to show in the closing stages. “To be honest, it is not ideal,” Lakshya said about his physical condition.
“But when I was playing on the court, I didn’t think about anything other than giving my best on the court. Yesterday I had some cramps, but I had some time to recover. I couldn’t recover 100%. “Towards the end of the week, all the players were tired with 4-5 matches. “It could have been better, but this is what I had.”
Playing with straps on both thighs, Lakshya got off to a slow start and trailed 0-3 as Lin immediately prevailed with sharp attacking play. The Taiwanese southpaw, known for his explosive offense, repeatedly attacked the lines with stinging punches, building a 6-2 lead as the Indian struggled to find his rhythm. Lakshya gradually found her range, mixing strikes with delicate touches at the net to close the gap to 7-8 before pressuring Lin with quick bursts of attack. However, the Taiwanese maintained a slight lead at the mid-game interval and soon extended the lead after a lucky net cordon and a series of powerful jumps left Lakshya struggling. Lin’s ability to disguise direct and cross punches with the same action made it difficult to read his attack as he advanced to 18-13. Lakshya tried to stay alive with a series of recovery efforts and precise pushes towards the baseline, but Lin sealed the first game in 24 minutes to leave the Indian facing an uphill battle.
The second game began with Lakshya still looking for rhythm and trailing 3-4 after a couple of wide tosses.
But the Indian soon changed the momentum.
Taking advantage of a series of errors from Lin, Lakshya took a 7-4 lead and then extended it to 9-4 as the Taiwanese briefly struggled with his length.
Lakshya maintained a three-point lead at the break and moved further to 13-9 with a precise return that clipped the line. However, Lin responded with a series of punches to close the gap and soon leveled the contest at 14-14. An exciting exchange followed as the two traded blows in a remarkable 46-shot rally that drew loud applause from the crowd.
Lin went ahead 16-15 with a perfectly concealed fall, but Lakshya responded with a 321 kmph smash to restore parity.
The Indian briefly pulled away two points ahead at 18-16 after producing a good shot and forcing Lin into an error.
But the Taiwanese responded with two fierce blows on each flank to level the score at 18-18. With tension rising, Lin advanced to championship point after punishing a weak return, only for Lakshya to make a remarkable defensive comeback to save him.
With 20 points in total, Lakshya again struggled through a grueling rally before sending a shot wide, giving Lin a second match point.
The Taiwanese seized the opportunity moments later when Lakshya launched another wide return, sealing the biggest win of his career.