Laksha Sen India came close to ending their long wait for the men’s singles title at the All England Badminton Open, but lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chun-Yi Lin in the final on Sunday.The 24-year-old badminton player from Almora put up a spirited contest in the pinnacle showdown but ultimately lost 15-21, 20-22 in a gripping 57-minute match filled with quick counterattacks and aggressive shots.With this win, Lin made history as the first Chinese Taipei player to win the men’s singles crown in this prestigious event.LakshadweepThe defeat also means that India’s wait for another All England men’s singles title continues. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Prela Gopichand (2001) remains the only Indian to hold this title. In the past, Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) also finished as runner-up, while Lakshya has now been a finalist twice and finished as runner-up in 2022.The Indian had defeated world number one Shi Yuqi and world number six Li Shifeng in earlier matches and entered the final in excellent form.However, his path to the final was physically demanding. Lakshay suffered severe foot cramps and blisters during a grueling semi-final match against Canada’s Victor Lai that lasted 97 minutes.When the final began, Lakshya had been on the court for 5 hours and 16 minutes in the game, nearly an hour and a half longer than Jeremy Lin, and the accumulated fatigue seemed to affect him in the later stages.The Indians played with their legs tied and moved slowly. Jeremy Lin started aggressively and soon fell behind 0-3.The Taiwanese left-hander repeatedly attacked the baseline with powerful kills, establishing a 6-2 advantage, while Lakshya was looking for rhythm.Gradually, the Indian began to become calm, combining sharp spikes and delicate net play to narrow the gap to 7-8, and put pressure on Jeremy Lin with fast and explosive attacks.However, Lin held on to a slim lead at the break and soon extended it with the help of a lucky net rope and a series of jumping smashes that pushed Lakshadweep onto the defence.His ability to cover up straight balls and cross-court smashes with the same preparation made it difficult for Laksha to predict the direction of the attack, allowing Lin to lead 18-13.Despite the Indians’ counterattacks and accurate pushing from the backline, Lin finished his first game in 24 minutes.At the beginning of the second game, Lakshya also struggled to find its rhythm and fell behind 3-4 after returning the ball several times.Soon, however, the momentum shifted.Thanks to some unforced errors by Jeremy Lin, Lakshadweep led 7-4 before the Taiwanese temporarily lost control of his length to extend the lead to 9-4.The Indians maintained a three-point advantage at halftime and extended the lead to 13-9 with accurate kickbacks.Jeremy Lin then responded strongly with a series of powerful kills, gradually narrowing the gap, and finally tied the score at 14-14.What followed was an exciting period of play, highlighted by an extraordinary 46-shot stand-off that drew loud cheers from the crowd.Jeremy Lin took a 16-15 lead with a cleverly disguised lob, but Lakshadweep immediately tied the score with a thunderous smash of 321 kilometers per hour.The Indians took a two-point lead, 18-16, after executing a chip and forcing a turnover.Jeremy Lin made two fierce attacks and counterattacked again, chasing the score to 18-18.As tensions mounted, Jeremy Lin earned his first championship point with a weak counterattack, but Lakshadweep showed tremendous resilience to save the point with an excellent defensive exchange.After 20 draws, the game entered a dramatic stage. Laksha fought hard in another grueling game but shot wide, giving Lin his second match point.Soon after, when Lakshadweep hit the ball out of bounds again, Lin earned the biggest win of his career, capping off an intense final.
