NEW DELHI: France's Alex Lanier, Indonesia's Alwi Farhan, Canada's Victor Lai, Thailand's Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul and India's Ayush Shetty -- they all have one thing in common besides their obvious love for badminton. They are all 21 and all of them are considered to be some of the brightest talents in the BWF circuit today. And they could potentially go on to become the dominant forces of tomorrow. Going by experience, Alex is perhaps ahead of the pack but Lai has clearly been leading the roster this season.
Lai, who began the year at World No 22, is now ranked as high as No 7 due to his exploits over the past six months or so. Now, Lai has ambitions to climb atop one day. But he knows it won't be easy as the established stars and rivals from his age group will have similar ambitions.
"Of course, my ambition is No 1. Now, I'm No 7 and there's still a long way to go. These guys (top guns), they have been at the top for such a long time and they won't give away the spot too easily and now that so many young guys like Alwi (Farhan), Ayush (Shetty), Panitchaphon (Teeraratsakul) and also Alex Lanier, he has been at the top for the longest time out of us young guys. There's always something to learn from these young guys and they won't make it easy for any of us to reach the top. So it's going to be a nice battle to see five, six, seven young guys go to the top together," Lai said.
Barring Panitchaphon, who was outshined by Lanier on Wednesday, all of them are in the race (as of Thursday morning) in the ongoing BWF World Championships, here.
With his patient approach and his ability to lure his opponents into making mistakes by engaging in rallies, Lai -- a novice at the top level just six or so months back -- has turned into a serious podium contender at the BWF circuit.
Despite making waves by capturing Canada's first ever medal at the World Championships last year, he was still largely not a popular face when he last arrived here for the India Open Super 750 event -- just his second appearance at the 750 level then. "I'm not like more experienced players looking to gain points and win some tournaments. I just want to improve as a player first, that's the most important thing for now," he had told The New Indian Express then.
The unassuming shuttler had quietly made his way into the Indira Gandhi Stadium with not many taking notice of him. He had travelled with a few Canadian players, also taking part in the event, and he had no coach to lean on during matches. He could be spotted at the stands, studying his potential rivals with undivided attention. In a matter of days, he had left a notable imprint on the fans with a creditable third-place finish.
"India was a small breakthrough for me, first time making a semis (Super 75 level) at a higher level tournament. So I was really happy as I got a lot of confidence from that. I have always had more support. It's really nice to be a home coach here," Lai, who now has come along with his coach this time, recalled.
With two titles -- which includes Super 1000 win in Indonesia -- and four third-place finishes this season, Lai, with his underdog mentality, has taken no time in becoming one of the top shuttlers in the business. That experience has naturally handed him the extra boost, giving him the license to dream big.
"I have played more, gaining experience every game, every match. I have always been out there and been kind of an underdog. No experience, no expectations. Slowly as I build and build, I'm starting to get that belief that I can compete against top guys. Every win against a top-32 player, it's important for my mental growth."
Lai, on the evidence of his results, has a high-ceiling and his performance in the next few days could possibly help him get closer to his target.