First the fitness update: Lakshya Sen is in good spirits, and though the 97-minute semifinal was an absolute wringer where his feet cramped and hobbled, he has some of the best recovery-aiding personnel by his side, and should turn up ready to face Taiwanese Lin Chun-Yi.
“He will deal with what bothered him yesterday, everythingwill be sorred out perfectly,” coach Vimal Kumar said cryptically. The Commonwealth Games final that Sen won in Birmingham, had his on-site and long term trainer Heath Matthews raving about his diligence in recovery, including the ice-baths.
This time he had fever a fortnight ago, successfully overcame a glutes issue, and after 317 minutes on court through 4 matches, played through a toe blister. “We can’t complicate it too much, or be too concerned. Lakshya showed what his mind is made of,” Vimal would add. Sen overcame intense discomfort of cramps and knees put under immense shock-load when he needed to leap to smash against Victor Lai. But driven to nail that elusive title, his body will follow suit, the coach believes.
It never gets easy for Lakshya Sen, perhaps the most heavily funded and supported shuttler in India. On the court though, no number of support staff or access to funds helps. But he’s been preparing for a tough week.
Taiwanese Lin Chun-Yi is how ‘tough’ gets spellt on Finals Day. Twice over Victor Lai, Chun-Yi is perhaps the most improved top player in men’s singles over last two years. He leads Sen 4-0, largely due to a playing style that is charring on rival spirits. He’s scathing in his attacks, and like all wickedly tough shuttlers, a soft-spoken easygoing person off the court.
He is ranked No 11 to Sen’s 12, and like Lai, winning the first set against him is no guarantee of anything when it comes to him.
His game style is bruising in a fifth possible way than Sen’s last four opponents. Shi Yuqi constructed rallies. NG Ka Long Angus combined sudden speed with control. Li Shifeng had intermittent expansive smashes, and bossed the net. Victor Lai just played too many shots in volume terms, demanding Sen run a lot, though his shots lacked sting. That’s positioning, precision, power and proportion on four days. Lin Chun-Yi combines the first three, and holds the props (proper dues) on history between the two.
Story continues below this ad
Chun-Yi defeated Sen at the India Open in January in quarters.
“He is the hardest hitter and his angles because he’s a leftie are tough to read,” Vimal says. Unless Sen strikes a good length denying him that hitting freedom, Lin can hit through him, as he tends to. There’s a catch.
Things change at All England. It’s no secret, Sen digs the Birmingham arena. With no drift meddling with strokeplay, and shuttles on slower side, Lin might not be able to handle through like always. He spent 78 minutes taking out new Wirld No 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, because 90 percent of his smashes are hit really hard. So them hits will crash into Sen’s hands and his reflex defense will be tested against the stinging power of the Taiwanese. But the Utilita Arena is making life tough for Lin, despite him avenging a German Open.loss frim last week to Christo Popov.
At Delhi earlier, Sen lost grip on a winnable match in the third set decider, in a 21-17, 13-21, 18-21 loss. At Birmingham things are complicated with his match last night, though Sen’s mindset has long crossed over into fearing improbables. He looks driven and composed, unbelieving of the possibility of losing.
Story continues below this ad
India’s Lakshya Sen celebrates after winning the men’s singles semifinal match against Canada’s Victor Lai at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
“Lakshya is 50-50 like the Angus match despite never having beaten him,” the coach says, though a bias will put it at 51-49 as the match nears.
“If Lin’s attack doesn’t work, he can start hitting wildly,” Vimal says. We have seen Li Shifeng and Victor Lai do that this week, simply because Sen’s own defense was unbreachable. How Sen defends against the hard hits, will decide this match. It’s not simply about reaching the shuttle in time, or how many times he reaches there, but how he repels that stinging hit. “Lin doesn’t like long rallies,” Vimal says
Like all Taiwanese, he’s also adept at the flat parallel exchanges, that Sen deploys.
Gushing praise for Lakshya’s grit
The coach says no matter what the result, his ward has played exceptionally well. “Lakshya overall is combining his attacking and defensive patterns very judiciously. He has improved his lifts from the net area, giving them the right height and not rushing the strokes. He is also mixing his hard smashes and half smashes very well, and his net play has become sharper. He is playing the right strokes at the right time,” he had said earlier.
Story continues below this ad
The semifinal drew special praise. “Lakshya, you have made us all incredibly proud. For me, the determination and resilience you showed today were truly unmatched. It was a physically draining contest of the highest intensity, yet you fought every point with remarkable courage,” he said after the semis with a dozen 40+ shot rallies.
“You employed the right tactics against Viktor Lai—controlling the pace of the match and refusing to give him the fast rhythm he thrives on. In the opening game, you kept him from settling into any real flow and dictated the terms of the rallies.”
Vimal would call it a performance to remember, imprinted on the brain for all watching. “The second game was a battle of sheer endurance, with long, punishing rallies. To fight your way back to 16–16 showed tremendous grit and character. The service fault call at that crucial moment was unfortunate and broke the momentum you had worked so hard to build. To play through the match with a painful blister on your foot, without even being able to get treatment during the break, and still push yourself despite the cramps—that speaks volumes about your fighting spirit. I have rarely seen such an incredible display of courage, resilience, and heart on a badminton court.
A performance to remember,” he ended.
