New Delhi: Lakshya Sen has his days: ordinary and incredible. On his ordinary game days, he can lose in the most unexpected fashion, leaving everyone to brood over his talent. Then there are days against fancied opponents, on bigger stages, when he demonstrates his class, shows what he can achieve at world level. On such days, Lakshya the competitor is simply at a different level. He dives, retrieves, smashes, deceives, controls the net, and puts the pressure back on his opponent with every shot. He is a bundle of energy on the court.
In the first round of the All England Open in Birmingham on Tuesday, Lakshya produced one such show for the ages, taking out world No.1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi 23-21, 19-21, 21-17, causing the biggest upset of the tournament on the very first day.
The high-quality contest lasted 78 minutes, but it seemed the two clashed longer, pushing each other, stretching their limits, trying to outmanoeuvre and searching for the slightest of opening to kill. It was intense and physically draining. Lakshya is a treat to watch in such contests. He can keep you on the edge forever and still surprise his opponent with his burst at the end, the way he did against the world champion in the decider, narrowing the head-to-head record 2-4.
Leading 11-10 in the tense decider, Lakhsya stepped up brilliantly, winning points in heaps. At that point, Shi Yu Qi’s levels dipped for the first time in the contest. He hurried through his shots under the relentless pressure he was put in. Lakshya sensed the desperation and punched back with more power in his smashes, more belief in his abilities. He was striking the shuttle from every corner of the court. Shi Yu Qi had no answers. He had given up against an opponent who was simply a notch better than him. Lakshya raced through the final few points, and as Shi Yu Qi’s shuttle went long, he simply stood there for a moment facing his coaches, relieved to have tamed the toughest opponent he could have drawn first up.
The swift end was in contrast to the tantalisingly close first two games. Every point was tightly contested. Coming on the back of four successive wins against Lakshya, Shi must have fancied his chances. But he must have been wary of how tricky Lakshya could be when he gets going.
For Lakshya, it was about playing patiently and constructing points. He started well, taking a 11-7 lead. Keeping the length tight and mixing his shots, Lakshya was not allowing Shi Yu Qi to go for his smashes. It was controlled aggression, and Lakshya would go for the kill when he sensed an opportunity. He was equally brilliant in net dribbles. Shi Yu Qi fought back as Lakshya showed nerves in closing out the first game which he led 18-12. Shi Yu Qi made it 18-16 and saved four match points before Lakshya took the lead after some sensational rallies.
Shi Yu Qi rallied, injecting pace and precision in his strokes in the next game. He was cruising 13-9 when Laskhya staged a dramatic comeback but lost. In the decider, it all came down to who could control their nerves better.
“I had to be patient throughout, and keep changing my tactics now and then. Once he starts reading the game you have to change a little bit,” Lakshya said after the win.
Lakshya entered the match prepared for the closing stages.
“I have been through same situations a couple of times, when I lost really close matches (to Shi), but today I pulled it off. Net was crucial to get a good lift. There was not a lot of easy points, so I had to wait for my chances to hit. The only thing I prepared for was the closing stages. If I rush a little bit he has the experience to finish off close games. The last few matches I lost like that.”
Lakshya loves the stage. He reached the 2022 All England final. Those were his initial days in the big league when he would cause big upsets in major tournaments, but he has not been able to consistently deliver on that promise. Beating Shi will give him confidence as he faces Hong Kong’s Angus KL Ng in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
The first-day slaying of the defending champion has presented Lakshya with great possibilities. The important thing for him will be to produce his incredible days more often.
