Indian star badminton player Lakshya Sen put on a badminton masterpiece to claim a second BWF Super 500 title with a back-to-back win over China’s Li Shi Feng in the Canadian Open final.
The 21-year-old from Almora, who won her first Super 500 title at the 2022 Indian Open, combined incredible speed and power to beat defending all-England champion Feng 21-18, 22-20 in a thrilling clash at the top.
“Going into the Olympic qualifiers, it was difficult because things didn’t go my way. So this win will be a big boost to my confidence,” Sen said PTI after victory.
«I’ve had to dig in some matches, the conditions are different and getting used to it is very important,» said the main player.
This is Sen’s first title since winning his first gold at the Commonwealth Games last August. He is also the nation’s second singles player to win the title this year, following HS Prannoy’s victory at the Malaysia Masters in May.
OUTSTANDING
Sen showed a lot of his temperament as he saved four points in the second game to claim a championship point and marked it at the first opportunity with a smash and fell to the field in relief. and happy after a stressful match.
The duo played some phenomenal serves, filled with fast-paced exchanges on the net and it was Sen who kept things tight for a fifth win in seven encounters with the Chinese.
This win will be a much-needed boost for Sen, who has dropped to number 19 in the world after struggling to regain his form at the start of the season.
Once the world No. 6, Sen, who won bronze at the 2021 World Championships, underwent nose surgery for a deviated septum after the World Championships last August and took a long time to recover. recovery after treatment.
In a well-balanced and accurate match between two young players, it was Sen who showed better control and momentum to come back against the world No. 10 player from China.
Sen held onto the net and produced a series of smashes across and across the court to trouble Li Shi Feng, who was 2-6 down at the start of the opener.
The duo played a high-speed game with both performing some eye-catching jumps. While Li delivered two smashes at 390 km/h, Sen unleashed several lightning bolts at 400 km/h.
Midway through the match, Sen managed to keep a three-point cushion after Li failed to negotiate a return from the Indian.
Both players unleashed a series of powerful smashes from the back to score, but unwarranted errors left Li behind with a score of 12-15. He managed to level the score 15-15 but Sen took three game points with another trademark straight smash.
Another accurate forehand return from his opponent earned him bragging rights.
The Chinese waited for their chance, embroiled Sen in some sensational rallies on the grid and pounced on anything weak from the Indians. He regained momentum after a first challenge put them 5-5 ahead to go into halftime with a four-point lead.
With Li winning the cybermatch, Sen managed to change his tack and took a 13-14 lead at one stage. But the Chinese managed to take the lead and take four points in the game with a powerful return that Sen made a mistake.
However, Sen showed his guts when a forehand smash was followed by another strong smash. Li then faltered in front of the net and Sen followed it with another smash to level the score.
Another rally ended with a precise return to Li’s forehand as it was to Sen’s advantage and he ended up ending it with another powerful smash.
The BWF World Tour is divided into six levels, namely World Tour Finals, four Super 1000s, six Super 750s, seven Super 500s and 11 Super 300s.
Another category of the tournament, the BWF Tour Super 100 level, also offers ranking points.
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