Birmingham, March 8 Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen lost to his familiar opponent, Lin Chun-Yi, in the men's singles final of the All England Open here on Sunday, prolonging the country's wait to see a champion again at the prestigious tournament.
The 24-year-old Indian put up a strong fight but could not overcome the challenge of the left-handed Taiwanese shuttler, losing the intense title clash 15-21, 20-22.
This was Sen's fifth consecutive defeat to Lin and his second runner-up finish at the tournament. He had also reached the final in 2022, but could not cross the finish line.
Sen, who battled through blisters and cramps during a hard-fought semifinal win on Saturday, produced a spirited campaign throughout the week, defeating a string of higher-ranked opponents before falling short in the title clash against Lin.
Only two Indians – Prakash Padukone (1980) and P Gopichand (2001) – have won the men's singles title at the All England Open in history.
