Birmingham, March 8 Lakshya Sen fought valiantly, but narrowly missed winning India's first All England men's singles title in 25 years, losing to Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-Yi in a high-intensity final on Sunday.
Playing his second All England final after finishing as runner-up in 2022, the 24-year-old from Almora put up a strong fight before losing 15-21, 20-22 in a 57-minute match characterized by fast rallies and aggressive play.
"Yes, I think it was a good match today. He was a better player in the first set, but I could have finished better in the second. However, I'm happy with my performance throughout the week," Lakshya said.
"I'm feeling emotional right now, thinking about the match. But overall, it was a positive experience," he added.
Lin Chun-yi's victory made him the first player from Chinese Taipei to win the All England men's singles title.
Lakshya's defeat meant that Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) remain the only Indians to have won this prestigious title, while Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) came closest with runner-up finishes.
Lakshya arrived in the final in excellent form after defeating top players like Shi Yu Qi and Li Shi Feng during the week.
The Indian had faced a tough journey to the final, including a 97-minute semifinal against Canada's Victor Lai, where he battled severe cramps and blisters on his foot.
By the time he stepped on the court on Sunday, Lakshya had spent five hours and 16 minutes in matches during the tournament – nearly an hour and a half more than Lin – and the physical strain was evident.
"Not ideal, to be honest," Lakshya said about his physical condition.
"But when I was playing, I was focused on giving my best. Yesterday I was struggling a bit with cramps, but I had time to recover. I couldn't recover completely."
"Towards the end of the week, all the players were tired with 4-5 matches. It could have been better, but that's what I had," he added.
Playing with thigh straps, Lakshya started slowly and trailed 0-3 as Lin immediately asserted himself with aggressive play.
The left-handed Taiwanese, known for his powerful offense, repeatedly targeted the lines with powerful smashes, taking a 6-2 lead while the Indian struggled to find his rhythm.
Lakshya gradually improved, mixing smashes with delicate net touches to close the gap to 7-8 before putting pressure on Lin with quick attacks.
However, Lin maintained a narrow advantage at the break and soon extended his lead after a lucky net cord and a series of powerful jump smashes that left Lakshya scrambling.
Lin's ability to disguise both straight and cross-court smashes made it difficult to read his attack, as he surged ahead to 18-13.
Lakshya tried to stay alive with retrieving efforts and precise pushes to the backline but Lin sealed the first game in 24 minutes, leaving the Indian facing a difficult challenge.
The second game began with Lakshya still searching for rhythm and trailing 3-4 after a couple of wide tosses.
However, the Indian quickly turned the momentum around.
Capitalizing on Lin's errors, Lakshya took a 7-4 lead and then extended it to 9-4 as the Taiwanese briefly struggled with his length.
Lakshya held a three-point advantage at the break and continued to lead 13-9 with a precise return that clipped the line.
However, Lin responded with a barrage of smashes to narrow the gap and soon leveled the score at 14-14.
A thrilling exchange followed as the two traded blows in a remarkable 46-shot rally that drew loud applause from the crowd.
Lin edged ahead 16-15 with a perfectly disguised drop shot, but Lakshya replied with a 321 kmph smash to restore parity.
The Indian briefly moved two points ahead at 18-16 after producing a fine slice smash and forcing Lin into an error.
But the Taiwanese responded with two fierce smashes on either flank to level the score at 18-18.
With the tension mounting, Lin seized championship point after punishing a weak return, only for Lakshya to save it with a remarkable defensive rally.
At 20-all, Lakshya again fought through a draining exchange before sending a shot wide, handing Lin a second match point.
The Taiwanese seized the opportunity moments later when Lakshya pushed another return wide, sealing his biggest victory.
