Lakshya Sen wins a lot of matches despite playing – excruciatingly – like Lakshya Sen.
He will build himself an 18-10 lead, then get complacent and hope points will flow seamlessly – if not hit the snooze button entirely. He will then find himself at an unsavoury 18-17 situation, then jolt himself awake and race to the finish, leaving those watching and wondering what the mid-game funk was all about.
The Indian World No.14 ended his title drought of this season, winning the Hylo Open in Germany on Sunday when he defeated Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10. That said mid-set snooze came in the opener. However Jojo Christie is in such poor form that as soon as he got to 17-18, he panicked and snatched at what should have been net-kills and sprayed the shuttle wide and long trying to elude Sen’s defence.
On either side of that regulation buffering that hits Sen routinely, he had an array of wonderful strokes. The hop-smash that travels like a bullet. His usual explosive stride at the net and some excellent ways to put Christie into awkward positions from where his errors sputtered both at the net and when he went for the lines.
The Indonesian, who maintains his World No.6 rank, has been known for his ability to nail the corners. But he struggled throughout to find his range.
“It was important to stay patient. I got a good start and I had the lead. It was important I get good lengths on my lifts and contain him on the smashes. And ya, on flat drives, I was taking advantage again today. It was important to get a good lift and play steady,” Sen would tell the BWF after the victory.
On the drives, Jojo’s frustration was evident as he found the net agonisingly and couldn’t extricate himself from that muddle. Sen’s high lifts did the job in numbing the Christie smash.
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Christie led 4-3 in head-to-head prior to the match, but hasn’t quite recovered from the stinging loss pounded on him by Sen at the Olympics. His consistency helps him reach deeper into draws, but titles have eluded him this year even as Alwi Farhan and Ubaidillah have emerged from the Indonesian badminton factory.
Big relief
Sen, who dominated Toma Popov in Saturday’s semifinal, wasn’t as aggressive on the day. But he got the job done – despite the characteristic lull in the middle.
“It’s been quite some time since I won a tournament, so it feels quite good. To play this well – and the last two matches were really top-quality opponents and I managed to beat them convincingly – so ya, I’m happy with how I played,” the Indian said.
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This was Sen’s seventh career title (incidentally, the same as Sindhu’s earlier) and his first since winning the Australia Open last season. He had won the Hylo back in 2021, but this was crucial after a torrid time on the Tour this year with eight first-round exits post the All England final appearance.
It was just eight months, but felt like a nightmare with some stinging losses.
“Couple of first-round losses really plays with your confidence. But the way I played the tournament from Round 1 gave me a lot of confidence. Coming into this tournament, I didn’t have really good performances, but I was really determined to play one match at a time. Find my rhythm, stay at it. And in the last two matches, I got it,” Sen would say.
“I was in much better shape back then,” Sen admitted, referring to his All England run, adding, “And I was close to my best level as well today. But All England is always something I have come so close to and not won. But we are just extra motivated for that week. Last time, I was very motivated and out there to win. Even today, it’s been a while since I played back-to-back matches like this so I was determined to go out there and win the title.”
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The title puts Sen in a good frame of mind ahead of a five-day break.
“Going back to India now. It’s been four weeks in Europe. But I’m excited to go home for five days and we have a big celebration coming up for Diwali. My extended family will be coming down to celebrate. We are also moving into a new home, so it’s a big thing for my Mom and Dad. So, Diwali and a big house-warming party,” he signed off.
