Lakshya Sen's Exhausting Runner-Up Finish at All England Open
Image Source: Internet
With Lin Chun-yi clinching the men's singles crown at the All England Open Badminton Championships, Lakshya Sen fell to a second loss in the final. The world No.12 gave it his all despite his tired body in the 15-21, 20-22 loss at Birmingham on Sunday.
Lakshya had spent five hours and 16 minutes on court in the previous four matches, a full 90 minutes more than his Chinese Taipei opponent. He endured a right-foot blister, a cut in his playing hand, and cramp in his legs before managing to pull through in the marathon semi-final.
To beat Lin, Lakshya had a physical and mental battle on his hands, having lost all four previous meetings to the 26-year-old. Despite his exhaustion, Lakshya kept digging in and fighting for every point, impressing his coach U Vimal Kumar with his intent and resilience.
Lakshya's coach said, 'It was clear that sheer muscle fatigue was holding him back. After the physically demanding matches he had played, his body had taken a toll. Lin is probably the most attacking player in world badminton today and Lakshya still pushed him hard.'
