20-year-old Sen faltered on the cusp of history as he committed too many errors to go down 10-21 15-21 to former champion Axelsen. (.bwfbadminton.com)All England Open Badminton Championships 2022 Finals Highlights: Lakshya Sen’s dream run at the All England Championships ended with a heartbreaking straight-game loss against world number one and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles final on Sunday, continuing India’s 21-year-long agonising wait for the coveted trophy.
After four days of sensational badminton, the 20-year-old Sen faltered on the cusp of history as he committed too many errors to go down 10-21 15-21 to former champion Axelsen in a lop-sided summit clash that lasted 53 minutes at the Barclaycard Arena.
“I thnk the strategy was there. I played him last week but today he was looking solid in attack and defence as well. He was really patient and played a really good game,” Sen said after the match. “In the opening game, I committed a lot of errors, that cost me the game. I was there in the second game but again he was too solid for me to put the shuttle down.”
On Saturday, Sen had become only the fifth Indian after Prakash Nath (1947), Prakash Padukone (1980, 1981), Pullela Gopichand (2001) and Saina Nehwal (2015) to reach the final of the prestigious tournament after outwitting defending champion Lee Zii Jia in a gruelling semifinal.
All England Open 2022 Finals Highlights: Catch all the highlights from Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen All England Badminton Championships final.
Sen beat Lee Zii Jia prominently and breathtakingly at 20-19 and other monster big, important points in the semis of the All England. (Twiiter/SAI Media)
Sen loses by 21-10, 21-15 against Axelsen. Axelsen plays beautifully and outplays Sen. What a great show of Badminton by Axelsen.
Axelsen is just three points away to win the second game. He is playing like a boss here. Sen is not sure how to attack against him.
Solid show of defense from Lakshya. He is trying his best to deal with Axelsen but he is not sure what will work for him.
Axelsen is on the move again as he gets two quick points. The crowd is now cheering for Axelsen. Sen in pressure.
Axelsen wins the first game. Lakshya will now be looking to turn around in the next game. He has been outstanding throughout the tournament and will try to retaliate.
It has been a smooth ride for Axelsen. What an opening game for him. He is dominating Sen and wants to finish the match in hurry.
Axelsen with a ten-point lead now. Lakshya will try to make a come back in the second game.
What a solid defense from Lakshya Sen. He needs to stay in the game.
Axelsen is on fire. He is punishing Sen. That powerful smash says everything.
Axelsen gets a point. He is attacking and looking for the lines.
What a way to start the action! We are witnessing some sharp defense, reflexes in the middle.
Vimal Kumar remembers an 8-year-old prankster’s face that could plunge into a puddle of tears when he was caught mid-prank. Lakshya Sen could also cutely pull a frowning face and pretend as if he had nothing to do with whatever unsavoury business had gone on. And then he also bawled when he lost a match. Watching Sen at the All England this week, all these years later, Vimal is still boggled about how liquid steel started coursing through Sen’s veins these last six months. (Read More)
Both Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) could bring that stoic unfazed equilibrium to the court. After exactly 21 years, Sen brought the impassive monk’s indifference to the court, as nothing about the All England stage fazed him. Not the prospect of missing out when he trailed 12-16 in the decider, not the fright of Zii Jia’s taser-like backhand crosscourt that zipped like a snorter from right to left. (Read More)
There is that tight-lipped, blasé eyed Emoji on the smiley page of most phones. Or a memory filament of a yellow-clad captain (in blue too) in control of his universe in cricket. It’s that rare un-Indian face in sport because it’s patently unemotional – with a nonplussed bearing, living nowhere, but in that moment, unaffected by what’s gone by, unruffled by what is to come. It’s that stillness before a 10.8 of India’s Olympic gold from a Beijing Monday morning, not calling attention to the trigger finger. In badminton, it’s the Lakshya lull, moments before young Sen’s storming of success. (Read More)