Lakshya Sen is looking to become just the third Indian to win an All England Championships title as he takes on Chinese Taipei’s own history-chasing Lin Chun-Yi. You can follow the final live right here on ESPN (live blog will appear below our short preview, for now)
Yesterday, Lakshya Sen braved severe cramps and hobbled over the line on one leg as he dug into his physical, and mental, reserves to come up on top after an epic semifinal win against Canadian sensation Victor Lai.
Speaking after the match, Lakshya said, “I was just taking one point at a time and starting up the third set I could feel a bit of cramps in the legs, and I didn’t know if I can go all the way. I was just trying to fight every point, fight just one more point and didn’t think too much ahead.”
“I think that was the only plan (to use smashes) in the first few shots to finish off the rally and not let the rallies go very long because he was playing very steady. Both of us were really tired to push the pace but I think in the end it was important that I increased the pace a little bit,” he said.
Having limped home, he’s had a day to recover before he takes on Lin, who himself comes into to the final after a marathon 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 win over Kunlavut Vitidsarn. He has, though, had a shorter run to the final winning all the previous three rounds in straight games. Lakshya was taken to three games in three of the four games he’s played before this final, and that could be telling if the match goes the distance.
Will All England have a third Indian winner, or a first Chinese Taipei champion? We’ll find out soon enough.
