The 21-year-old Indian, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at the 2022 India Open, mixed incredible speed and power to outshine the reigning All England champion 21-18 22-20.
Calgary: Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen gave a stellar performance to claim his second Super 500 title with a straight-game win over Li Shi Feng of China in the final of the Canada Open here on Sunday, July 9. A PTI report in The Tribune, Chandigarh says
The 21-year-old Indian, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at the 2022 India Open, mixed incredible speed and power to outshine the reigning All England champion 21-18 22-20.
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“Coming into the Olympics qualification year, it was tough as things didn’t go my way. So this win will be a big boost to my confidence,” Sen said after the win. “I had to dig deep in some matches, the conditions were different and getting used to it was important,” he added.
This was Sen’s first title since claiming his maiden gold at the CWG in August last year. He is also the second singles player from the country to win a title this year following HS Prannoy’s victory at the Malaysia Masters in May.
Sen showed stunning examples of his temperament as he saved four game points in the second game to grab a championship point and sealed it on the very first opportunity with a smash. He then collapsed on the court, heaving a sigh of relief and overjoyed.
“It has been an amazing week for me. I got better as the event progressed, I got used to the conditions and played a good tactical game yesterday and today, so I am happy with my performance,” Sen said.
This win will be a much-needed boost for Sen, who had slipped to world No. 19 after struggling to find his form early in the season.
“In the second game, it was quite difficult for me to predict anything as I was trailing all the way, so I just wanted to cover the lead. The key thing was to be stay patient,” Sen said.
Want to remain injury-free, says Sen
New Delhi: Following the high of 2022, Lakshya Sen endured a low this season after being bothered by the effects of nose surgery he underwent to treat a deviated septum following the World Championships last August.
His recovery process extended from three months to over eight months and his struggles were reflected in his performance His ranking also plunged to world No. 25 from six.
“I was training well but post-surgery, I was falling sick and immunity was not good I had a lot of health issues. I couldn’t play 100 per cent. I had prepared well for All England, but again couldn’t do well,” he said. “There are a lot of tournaments, I will just take the positives from this one. Now that my health issues are sorted, I just want to remain injury-free and fit for the good season ahead,” he added.
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