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Indian badminton fans woke up to a delightful news as Lakshya Sen clinched the Canada Open title at Calgary on Sunday night with a 21-18, 22-20 win over reigning All England Open champion Li Shi Feng.
This was the 21-year-old's first title since claiming the men's singles gold medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last August.
This was Sen's second title at the BWF Super 500 level since his triumph at the India Open in January 2022.
The Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy student's success is India's third men's singles title this year following HS Prannoy's victory at the Malaysia Masters and Priyanshu Rajawat's win at the Orleans Masters.
Lakshya Sen was in spectacular form throughout the week in Calgary. He opened his campaign with an upset win over second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the very player who had earlier stopped him in the Thailand Open semifinals this year.
He also sent the fourth seed Kenta Nishimoto packing in the semifinals before beating fifth seed Li Shi Feng in the summit clash. With Vitidsarn, Feng and Nishimoto being respectively ranked fourth, 10th and 11th in the current BWF world rankings, this was indeed a momentous feat for the 19th-ranked Indian shuttler.
The only time that Sen conceded a game this week was in the quarterfinals against Belgian qualifier Julien Carraggi.
Lakshya Sen was close to dropping another game in the final as he trailed 16-20 in the second game against Li Shi Feng before turning it around by winning six points in a row.
Sen's spirited comeback has earned him plaudits on social media. Twitter has been abuzz since his win with wishes pouring in from all quarters. Sen's determination and resilience have been praised by fans and sportspersons alike, with one account even calling him a "national treasure."
Here are some of the best reactions:
What next for Lakshya Sen?
With the Asian Games scheduled to begin in September and 2023 being the Paris Olympics qualifying year, every Indian shuttler is desperately looking to regain their winning form. Sen's Canada Open glory thus couldn't have come at a better time.
The young shuttler, who is expected to rise to No. 12 in the upcoming BWF world rankings, will hope to build on his Calgary heroics at the US Open this week. The Super 300 event will be held at Council Bluffs, Iowa, from July 11-16.
