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Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen will aim for his first title of the year against fifth seed and former winner Li Shi Feng at the Canada Open in Calgary on Sunday (July 9).
The 19th-ranked Indian shuttler has been on song in this Super 500 tournament, dropping just one game en route to the summit clash.
He started his campaign with a 21-18, 21-15 victory over second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Following a 21-15, 21-11 win over Brazilian veteran Ygor Coelho, Sen faced his toughest challenge in the quarterfinals against Belgian qualifier Julien Carraggi. The Indian conceded the second game before turning the tables on his opponent for a 21-8, 17-21, 21-10 win.
In the semifinals, the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy student brushed aside fourth seed Kenta Nishimoto 21-17, 21-14.
This is the second time this year Sen has made it to the last four of any tournament. His only other semifinal appearance this season was at the Thailand Open, where he fell short against Vitidsarn.
Lakshya Sen vs Li Shi Feng: Head-to-head and Prediction
Sen has a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head with Li Shi Feng. Their most recent meeting took place at the Thailand Open in June this year, where the Indian emerged a 21-17, 21-15 winner.
Feng has become China's newest star in men's singles. The 2018 World Junior Championships bronze medalist has already made his mark in the senior circuit. The 23-year-old triumphed at the 2019 Canada Open before finishing as the runner-up at the 2022 Thailand Open and the 2023 German Open. His breakthrough, however, came at the All England Open in March this year, where he went on to lift the biggest trophy of his career.
Since his Birmingham heroics, Feng's most notable results were a semifinal finish at the Indonesia Open and a couple of quarterfinals at the Singapore Open and the Badminton Asia Championships.
This week he has fared better, reaching the final at the Canada Open.
Feng was put to the test by Danish veteran Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus in the first round. After losing the first game of the match, he stormed back for a 8-21, 21-16, 21-10 victory.
The Chinese then sailed past Fabian Roth 21-7, 21-14 before staving off stiff resistance from Koki Watanabe for a 15-21, 23-21, 21-12 win. In the semifinals, he thumped Kodai Naraoka 21-8, 21-11 to set up the final showdown with Lakshya Sen.
The two are familiar rivals and have already faced off this year. Having lost the last time, Feng will hope to be better prepared this time around to tackle the Indian star. However, his long matches earlier in the week might affect his energy levels should the battle go the distance, putting Sen at a slight advantage.
Canada Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Li Shi Feng: Date and time
Lakshya Sen will square off against fifth seed Li Shi Feng in the men's singles final at the Canada Open 2023 on Sunday in the fifth match of the day on Court 1.
Date: July 9, 2023
Round: Final
Time: Approx. 4 pm local time; 3.30 am IST (July 10, 2023)
Venue: Markin-MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Canada
Canada Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Li Shi Feng: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Canada Open final match will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. It will also be shown live on the Jio Cinema app.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV too.
Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
