4 min readMar 8, 2026 12:01 AM IST
It is not something you see often in a badminton match. At the final change of ends in the decider against Victor Lai, Lakshya Sen lay down on his back on the floor near his bench as his coach Yoo Yong Sung and physio Satej furiously massaged his legs. He had a lead to protect and the willpower to win, but the body was starting to act up out of sheer exertion from all the epic rallies they had been contesting. At one point after play resumed, when he was rightly shown a yellow card for delay, the chair umpire told Lakshya ‘continue playing or retire’. But somehow, Lakshya found reserve fuel in his tank, started attacking early during rallies and came through an extraordinary 97-minute clash to book his place in the All England final for a second time.
“Starting of the third set, I could feel a bit of cramps in the legs and I didn’t know if I could go all the way,” Lakshya told BWF. “I was just trying to fight every point… (telling myself) just one more point, and didn’t think too much ahead.” Did he think the strategy to go aggressive with the smashes, leaping high despite the cramp, could have backfired on him? He let out a chuckle. “I think that was the only plan: to finish off the rally in the first few shots and not let the rallies go very long because he was playing very steadily. 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.”
It wasn’t lost on Lai, who continues to make heads turn on the international circuit, crossing one milestone after another for Canadian badminton. “I’m a little disappointed, especially in the third set. He was visibly kind of cramping a little bit, but, kudos to him. Even though he was cramping, he was physically more tired than me. he pushed on and he was able to hold on. He played really smart as well in the third set. I didn’t play the right shots, and he was able to take advantage.”
India’s Lakshya Sen receives medical treatment as he plays against Canada’s Victor Lai during the men’s singles semifinal match at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Lakshya added, “I was ready for everything to come back. Towards the end, I could connect a few good ones where I was not thinking of taking the next shot and just trying to go 100% attack on that particular shot.”
Lai’s retrieving skills verged on otherworldly at times as Lakshya struggled to penetrate his defence. But the Paris World Championships bronze medallist realised post-match that he should have tried to attack a bit more instead of attempting to prolong the rallies. “But his attacks were really good in the third set. Even though I was able to defend him most of the game, but in the end, I’m also physically pretty tired too. I think mentally, he was a little bit stronger than me.”
Live tweeting the match on social media, PV Sindhu said it reminded her of the epic clash against Nozomi Okuhara at the 2017 Worlds. “To win when your legs are cramping is one of the most difficult things in sport, and to see him do that today was phenomenal. He has a phenomenal team around him so I’m sure he’ll be okay. Good luck for tomorrow, Lakshya. Godspeed.”
He’d need more than luck when he takes on Lin Chun Yi in the final. The speedy lefty has been a thorn in Lakshya’s flesh, having beaten him in all four previous meetings. It all comes down to recovery now as he aims to end a 25-year Indian wait for the All England title.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
