Lakshya Sen reached his second men’s singles final at the All England Open after defeating Canada’s Victor Lai in a hard-fought semifinal in Birmingham.
The 24-year-old Indian battled blisters and intense rallies to secure a 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 victory in one hour and 37 minutes. Sen became only the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to reach the prestigious final twice. The match featured several rallies exceeding 50 strokes, testing both players’ endurance. Sen held his nerve in the deciding game, winning four straight points late to seal the win. He will now face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi, who defeated Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the other semifinal, in the championship clash.