Lakshya Sen drops the burden of ‘sensational’ against Japan in 3-0 win

But while Satwik-Chirag were dependable, and Ayush (the Japanese call him ‘Two Word Shetty’ for some reason) had a debonair Asiad debut, the win was shaped by Sen, and his ability to keep things simple.

For far too long, Sen’s game has leant on turning flashy and risky when things get difficult. It’s as if he believes, he needs to pull rabbits out of the hat constantly, show depths of dazzling sorcery, before he convinces the world he is good — or good enough. Far too often, he would drop the self-belief that even his basic game could suffice, seeking validation for his attack. Too many tricks, too much put-on nonchalance. But playing Kodai, and needing to close out from 13-19 down, Sen dropped the act.

At the World Championships in Delhi playing an American pretender, he had gotten too tight and succumbed to nerves, that his coaches had never seen before. At the Paris Olympics, he got too desperate and faltered. At Nagoya, the coaches simply told him to show some energy, maybe hop about and lose that stress. And play the game he knows best. The game that covers 10-16, 13-19 leads, using his superior understanding of rallies and underrated ability to outlast.

Lakshya Sen fights back against Kodai Naraoka as India sweep Japan 3-0 in the Men’s Badminton Quarter-finals! 💥

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The dazzling dives and backhand blocks and fuzzy flicks are just the trimmings of defense. The zero-errors was the real deal. Sen went on to out-defend the defensive machine that is Kodai to an extent that the Japanese tried playing too cute with a show-off trick shot that backfired. Sen eschewed racquet antics.

Both players — Sen last beat Kodai in 2023 — had skimmed past the first two sets, so exhaustion wasn’t an issue. But Sen had managed his usual mid-set lull to fall behind. What he did in last 6 points though was beautifully simple. Overdoing nothing, keeping shuttle in play and keeping it down, nothing fancy, nothing special — Sen frustrated Kodai with stubborn-headed defense that saw the Japanese crack.

Sen’s always been good against attacking players like Shi Yuqi, though he gets bedazzled and intimidated by outright smackers like Axelsen. But getting past Kodai held special significance.

When the decider fetched up, his 13-19 situation relegating both earlier sets to a distant memory, Sen dipped into grit and the attitude to keep a straight face and wreak havoc. Kodai didn’t know what hit him.

The dazzling reflex defense wasn’t as ostentatious. But coaches Gopichand and Yoo Yong-sung kept reminding him to show some energy, to snap out of the funk.

First thing he did was drag himself out of the doubles-style flat exchanges which on their own aren’t a bad idea, but not against Kodai who plays them better. The length on his lifts too improved and they went deep pushing the Japanese back. That wasn’t exactly dazzling defense and one of those phases where Sen pulls out ridiculous reflex returns and gets carried away by unnecessary show-pony tricks, consumed by the applause. He instead imposed his unfazed personality – call it attitude – on the game. He drew out lifts using the net tumbles and the drops. Forcing Kodai to lift, brought opportunities to attack.

The net tumbles are the most uncelebrated part of Sen’s game and as he whittled down the lead, these became crucial coming up to 18-19. A smash plop on the line in the back corner took him to 19-19. The tumble leaves you with a bad choice and a worse choice. Kodai ended up hacking it into the net giving Sen a famous win.

Sen has grown as a leader through these team campaigns shouldering first singles responsibilities — and is expected to offer Ayush confidence. The 21-year-old on debut cantered to the opening set and promptly proceeded to play unnecessary, fast, flat shots from odd angles — something Koki Watanabe might have pounced on. But the coaches would tug him back — and the strategic lifts duly kicked in. In modern men’s singles, everyone retrieves in range. The good ol’ simple high lifts, get the job done.

China beckons in semis.