Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen said on Saturday that there was a possibility of him retiring out due to cramps during the All England Open 2026 men’s singles semifinal against Canada’s Victor Lai.
However, Lakshya overcame the persistent Canadian in a gruelling three-game thriller, which lasted for one hour and 37 minutes. The scoreline read 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 in favour of the Indian.
“I was just taking one point at a time. At the start of the third game, I could feel my legs cramp up. I didn’t know whether I could continue, but I was just fighting each point and not thinking about it,” the World No. 12 said after the match.
The last-four clash included plenty of lung-busting rallies, the longest of which lasted for 86 shots. “That was the only strategy, to finish the rallies in the first few shots. He was quite steady, but we were both tired to push the pace. But it was important for me to do it towards the end,” Lakshya added.
This will be the 24-year-old’s second summit clash at the All England. He reached the final back in 2022 where he fell 10-21, 15-21 to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen. On Sunday, the Indian will face Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei for the Super 1000 title.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, one day to recover and come back strong,” Lakshya concluded.
Published on Mar 07, 2026
