Lakshya Sen Storms into All England Open Final Despite Blisters and Cramps, Eyes India’s 25-Year Title Drought

Birmingham, March 7 (TNA) India’s Lakshya Sen scripted a heroic semifinal triumph at the All England Open Badminton Championships here on Saturday, battling painful foot blisters and severe cramps to defeat Canada’s Victor Lai 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 and advance to his second final at the prestigious Super 1000 event.

The 24-year-old world No. 12, playing a gruelling 97-minute match at Utilita Arena, overcame an early second-game lapse, marked by a yellow card and visible limping, to seal victory with a decisive smash, positioning himself one win from emulating Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, India’s last men’s singles champions in 1980 and 2001.

Sen’s resilience shone through an 86-shot rally in the decider and smashes clocked at 354 km/h, reversing a four-match head-to-head deficit against Lai (world No. 16), who became the first Canadian semifinalist. Earlier, Lakshya dismantled China’s Li Shifeng and Hong Kong’s Ng Ka Long Angus, snapping losing streaks en route.

In Sunday’s final, Sen faces Taiwan’s Lin Chun Yi (world No. 11), with a historic chance to end India’s 25-year men’s title wait amid roaring support from the Indian diaspora.