SUPERHUMAN reflexes, close to 400kph smashes, marathon rallies, nifty footwork and net play. Saturday's thrilling 76-minute affair between Lakshya Sen and Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia had the crowd at the edge of their seats throughout. More importantly, the contest that unfolded displayed the characters of both shuttlers. Both of them fought like gladiators standing face-to-face to save their lives but in the end, it was Lakshya's stubborn resilience that got him over the line. Just.
That victory added to the 20-year-old's flourishing reputation. Moreover, the shuttler from Uttarakhand is now within touching distance of joining a scarce list of All England Open winners from India. Only two from the country — Prakash Padukone (in 1980) and Pullela Gopichand (in 2001) — have managed to win the oldest badminton event.
The gravity of his performance so far is telling. Even the likes of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, who have dominated the badminton scene in the last decade or so, have been unable to unlock the All England code. Saina came close in 2015 but missed out in the final hurdle. Sindhu, despite her unquestionable talent, has been unable to go the distance in the big-ticket event.
On Saturday, Lakshya, despite being on the ropes on numerous occasions, remained unfazed. He held his ground firm to churn out big points when needed to beat the defending champion from Malaysia 21-13, 12-21, 21-19.
It was Lakshya who took charge of the initial moments in the first game and headed into the breather with a four-point advantage. But Lee refused to submit and made Lakshya toil for every point. After this, Lakshya hit a different gear, winning six consecutive points to open up a handy gap. Lee, on the other hand, seemed deflated, and that reflected in the errors that he was making. In the end, it was a comfortable 21-13 win for the Indian.
The second game was equally engaging as Lee turned the tables on the Indian. The duo was involved in epic rallies but it was Lee who took control of the game with some bullet smashes. Trailing by a big margin, Lakshya did win some points, showing some signs of a fightback. However, confidence was visible in Lee's body language. He eventually won 21-12 to stay alive.
The duo had saved the best for last. Both were inseparable, staying within touching distance of one another. Both came up with some incredible shots; Lee hit one backhand winner which was as fast as 372kph early on. Lee used his backhand hits effectively and at one stage looked like he had momentum on his side to win the contest: he was leading 18-16. That's when Lakshya showed his stubbornness, producing big shots and forcing Lee on the backfoot.
"I'm in really good form and the tournaments I played last year gave me a lot of confidence. The India Open win was a big boost. As a kid, you always want to win at the All England as this event has a rich history, so it's an important tournament for me and I look forward to doing well," Lakshya had told BWF after his second-round win over Anders Antonsen.
In a good place, Lakshya now has a great opportunity to realise his childhood dream.
Route to final
R32: bt Sourabh Verma 21-17, 21-7
R16: bt Anders Antonsen 21-16, 21-18
QF: bt Lu Guang Zu Walkover
SF: bt Lii Zii Jia 21-13, 12-21, 21-19
Top-10
When the new BWF rankings are posted, Lakshya will be featuring in the top-10.