Badminton At Its Toughest, And Lakshya At His Bravest: Vimal Kumar

New Delhi: Lakshya Sen's gruelling semifinal win over Canada's Victor Lai in the All England Open Championships on Saturday was a demonstration of badminton at its toughest and the Indian ace at his bravest, said former mentor and national coach Vimal Kumar.Battling painful blisters on his foot and severe cramps, a gritty Sen overcame Lai to storm into the final of the All England Open in Birmingham, moving within one win of ending India's 25-year wait for the prestigious title.

It turned out to be one of the finest matches of his career as Lakshya fought for one hour and 37 minutes before sealing a 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 win over the 21-year-old Lai, who had claimed a surprise bronze at last year's World Championships in Paris.

"Lakshya, you have made us all incredibly proud. For me, the determination and resilience you showed today were truly unmatched. It was a physically draining contest of the highest intensity, yet you fought every point with remarkable courage," Kumar told PTI after Sen's win.

"To play through the match with a painful blister on your foot, without even being able to get treatment during the break, and still push yourself despite the cramps-that speaks volumes about your fighting spirit.

"I have rarely seen such an incredible display of courage, resilience, and heart on a badminton court. It's badminton at its toughest, and Lakshya at his bravest. It's a performance to remember," gushed the badminton legend.

It will be Lakshya's second appearance in the All England final after finishing runner up at the 2022 edition.

The 24-year old from Almora will now chase history when he takes on world No. 11 Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei in the summit clash on Sunday.

Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) are the only Indians to have won the All England title.
Apart from them, only Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015 runner up) came close with runner up finishes.
Lakshya displayed immense mental fortitude, resolute defence and precise strokeplay as he endured punishing rallies clocking as many as 86 shots, against the dogged Canadian.

"You employed the right tactics against Victor Lai, controlling the pace of the match and refusing to give him the fast rhythm he thrives on. In the opening game, you kept him from settling into any real flow and dictated the terms of the rallies.

"The second game was a battle of sheer endurance, with long, punishing rallies. To fight your way back to 16-16 showed tremendous grit and character. The service fault call at that crucial moment was unfortunate and broke the momentum you had worked so hard to build," he said.

Kumar, however, felt that service judges calling faults at crucial stages of a match, with players having no opportunity to challenge or review the decision, is something the sport needs to seriously address.

"At a key moment today, Lakshya was faulted on his serve, which completely disrupted his momentum. Even Victor Lai was earlier given a fault for the shuttle allegedly touching his shirt. In situations like these, the players have no mechanism to dispute or review the call, even though the stakes are extremely high.

"This is exactly why the BWF should consider introducing a referral or review system for such decisions.

"Instead of constantly discussing changes to the scoring system, the BWF think tank should focus on improving these important aspects of the sport -- ensuring fairness, accuracy, and giving players the confidence that crucial decisions can be reviewed. Badminton has evolved tremendously, and it is time that officiating systems evolve with it," he added.

Badminton At Its Toughest, And Lakshya At His Bravest: Vimal Kumar

Lakshya Sen's gruelling semifinal win over Canada's Victor Lai in the All England Open Championships on Saturday was a demonstration of badminton at its toughest and the Indian ace at his bravest, said former mentor and national coach Vimal Kumar.

Latest News