All England Championship: Before Final Vs Viktor Axelsen, A Look At Lakshya Sen’s Underdog Triumphs In 2022
New Delhi: Lakshya Sen, who is on the verge of scripting history at the All England Championship 2022, face a tough challenge against Viktor Axelsen in the final. He is no stranger to pressure matches as he has played quite a few in the past. He became the youngest Indian shuttler to win a men’s singles medal at the 2021 World badminton championships. The 20 year old shuttler is focusing on playing more matches against different opponents in order to gain much-needed experience before competing at the all-important Paris 2024 Olympics.
Before the all important final at Birmingham today, lets have a look at his famous victories which came in the year 2022.
Lakshya Sen against Loh Kean Yew
World championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen defeated current World Champion Loh Kean Yew in straight games 24-22, 21-17 to win the first India Open men’s singles title. Speaking about the overall tournament, the 20-year-old said, “I didn’t come with a lot of expectations in this tournament as I didn’t get a lot of practice after the world championship. But I came into the final with a much better rhythm as I played a few good three-game matches and I played more freely in the final today.”
Lakshya Sen against Viktor Axelsen
India’s Lakshya Sen stormed into the men’s singles final at the German Open 2022, stunning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals of the BWF World Tour Super 300 event. It is notworthy that Sen will face Axelsen again and this time it will be a final. The 20-year-old Indian beat Axelsen 21-13, 12-21, 22-20, eventually losing out to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the finals.
Lakshay Sen against Anders Antonsen
Probably the biggest truimph of his career, Sen defeated world no.3 Anders Antonsen in straight sets 21-16, 21-18 in his second-round match of the ongoing All England Championship. The Indian shuttler kept his nose ahead from the start and won the first game. Lakshya, ranked world No 11, was equally matched by his Danish opponent in the second game but the Indian amped up his pace in time to take the game away completely.
Lakshay Sen against Lee Zii Jia
Lakshya Sen reached the final of the 2022 All England Open Badminton Championships after beating Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 21-13, 12-21, 21-19 in the semifinal. Sen opened up an 11-7 lead at the interval in the first game in a battle between two top shuttlers. The Indian was solid and defended brilliantly Lee’s attack and took the opening game 21-13. However, the Malaysian made a strong comeback and hit a string of sensational winners to claim the second game. In the decider, Lakshya Sen put up a phenomenal fight, didn’t give up and eventually won it 21-19.