Female Badminton star PV Sindhu lauded Lakshya Sen’s tenacity as he overcame Canada’s Victor Lai to enter the semi-final of All England Open on Saturday at the Utilita Area in Birmingham. PV Sindhu was particularly impressed by how well Lakshya overcame his cramps to win the battle, claiming that it’s arguably the most difficult thing to do in Badminton.
“Reminded me of the 2017 world champs final” – PV Sindhu on Lakshya Sen’s semi-final performance
The hard-fought battle lasted for an hour and 37 minutes as the 24-year-old sealed a 1-16, 18-21, 21-15 over Lai, who claimed a Bronze during the last year’s World Championships in Paris. Lakshya is now heading into his second All England final, having finished as runners-up in the 2022 edition and will look to go one better. He will face No. 11 Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei on Sunday.
It was in the third and deciding game that Lakshya had to take a medical timeout after sustaining a bruised finger while putting in a dive. After a stunning 86-shot rally, Lai displayed signs of fatigue and eventually took a 11-7 lead. Despite struggling with cramps every now then, the youngster found traces of strength to outplay his opponent. When Lakshya’s lead was 18-15, Lai hit a wide and a ruthless smash took him within two points of victory. Another net error from Lai meant Lakshya had advanced to the final.
Taking to X, Sindhu, who seemed to have been following the match closely, wished him all the best for the final:
“That lead will always make a difference mentally haha. What a match from Lakshya. Reminded me of the 2017 world champs final that I lost. Glad he came out on the other side. To win when your legs are cramping is one of the most difficult things in sport, and to see him do that today was phenomenal. He has a phenomenal team around him so I’m sure he’ll be okay. Good luck for tomorrow, Lakshya. Godspee Victor, my heart goes out to you bud. I wouldn’t be too far off in saying you’re the future of men’s badminton with that game. Good luck for what’s ahead.”
It’s imperative to note that only Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) among Indians have won the England Open title.
