Lakshya Sen had navigated past some world-class rivals and soldiered on despite cramps in the semifinal stage during his epic run to the All England Open final at Birmingham. One more hit and he would have attained legendary status. But come Sunday, the day of the final, he cut a dejected figure as he fell just short of his end goal. Instead, it was Lin Chun-yi, a familiar rival, who entered the history books by becoming the first shuttler from Chinese Taipei to pocket the prestigious crown.
After a fascinating battle that lasted just under an hour, Lin won 21-15, 22-20. For Lakshya, this is the second time that he has ended up as a runner-up in the BWF Super 1000 event.
Lakshya is somebody who is at his best when he is attacking, somebody who thrives when there's some sort of chaos inside the court. That is the tactic that he had regularly employed to rattle his previous-round opponents. But Lin was as calm as they come. The World No 11, who had beaten Lakshya en route India Open Super 750 title, was assertive from the get go and was controlling the tempo of the game at the initial stages of the final. He was constantly attacking Lakshya's backhand and employing some drop shots to set up some winners. Lakshya was also guilty of making some unforced errors.
Lin had a slender lead, but the game was far from over. Lakshya, with some fine returns, managed to close the gap. But Lin didn't hit the panic button and continued to earn a point or two to stay ahead heading into the first 20-second break. Once the play resumed, Lakshya, perhaps overzealous in his bid to close the gap, tried to kill a rally soon but instead hit it wide. Lin was clearly operating with confidence at that stage. He engineered some pin-point overhead smashes to widen the gap before eventually going on to pocket the game.
In the second stanza, Lakshya displayed watertight defence to reel off six consecutive points and take control of the proceedings. Trailing 5-10, Lin once again changed gears to cut down the gap to two points. But it was Lakshya who took a three-point lead heading into the drinks break. Lakshya, with some strong returns, was finding pockets of spaces at Lin's side to widen the lead. But Lin once again upped the pace of the game to be on equal terms (14-14 at that stage). That's when Lakshya, highlighting his lightning reflex, pulled off a freakish winner. Even Lin was caught flat-footed and he was in complete disbelief as the shuttle sailed over his head. At 18-16, it was Lakshya who had a massive advantage. But Lin, just like in the opening game, was engaging Lakshya in long rallies and setting up winners to close the gap yet again before going on to clinch the match in his second match point attempt.
Having come so close to glory, Lakshya was understandably disappointed to have missed out on the coveted trophy. "It was a good match. The first game, he was a better player. In the second game, I could have finished off better. I'm happy with the way I played throughout the week. I'm pretty emotional right now as I think about the match," he told reporters after the match.
Having spent over five hours over the last few days coming into the final, Lakshya had spent a bulk of energy. In the semifinal on Saturday, he had used all his reserve fuel to just get over the line. When asked about his physical condition coming into the match, Lakshya said he was just looking to give his 100 per cent inside the court. "Not ideal to be honest. When I was playing, I was not thinking of anything but to give my best on court. Yesterday (Saturday), I was struggling a bit with cramps but I had some time to recover. I couldn't recover 100 per cent. Towards the end of the week, all the players are tired, having played four-five matches. It could have been better but I give everything."