Lakshya Sen Reaches All-England Final With Semi-Final Win Over Victor Lai

Last Updated:March 07, 2026, 21:52 IST

Lakshya Sen reached the All England Open Badminton final, defeating Canada's Victor Lai. He will face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in the final.

Lakshya Sen reached the men’s singles final of the All-England Open Badminton Championship for the second time, becoming only the second Indian player to achieve this feat. On Saturday, Sen defeated Canada’s Victor Lai in a gruelling semifinal in Birmingham. The 24-year-old, who had previously reached the final in 2022, overcame both a spirited Lai and blisters on his right toe to win 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 in an hour and 37 minutes.

Sen’s mentor, Prakash Padukone, had also reached the All-England final in 1980 and 1981, winning the title in his first summit clash appearance.

How Lakshya Sen Beat Victor Lai?

The semifinal match between Sen and Lai tested the physical endurance of both players, featuring multiple rallies that exceeded 50 strokes. Sen’s ability to find an extra gear helped him take the opening game, which was closely contested until 17-16, before he secured four consecutive points. Lai, the first Canadian player to win a BWF World Championships medal, bounced back in the second game, leading 11-7 at the mid-game interval.

Despite struggling with blisters, Sen fought back to level at 16-16, but Lai managed to pull ahead, forcing a decider. In the final game, Sen’s experience allowed him to take calculated risks, gaining a sizeable 15-9 lead. Lai, known for his resilience, closed the gap to 17-15 before Sen once again secured the final points to win the match.

Sen will face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in the final. Lin, the India Open champion, had defeated second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 21-14, 18-21, 21-16 in an hour and 18 minutes.

Sen aims to join Padukone and Pullela Gopichand (2001) as winners of the prestigious All-England Open tournament.

Earlier, India’s top-ranked men’s singles player Sen continued his impressive run at the All England Open by defeating sixth seed and former champion Li Shi Feng in straight games in the quarterfinals. Sen triumphed over Li 21-13, 21-16 in an hour, setting up the semifinal clash against Lai, who had beaten Japan’s Koki Watanabe 18-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the other quarterfinal.

(With inputs from Agencies)

News sports badminton Lakshya Sen Reaches All-England Final With Semi-Final Win Over Victor Lai

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