India’s Lakshya Sen secured his place in the men’s singles final of the 2026 All England Open Badminton Championships after a grueling semi-final victory over Canada’s Victor Lai. Despite battling debilitating cramps and painful blisters, the world No. 12 displayed immense resilience to outlast his 16th-ranked opponent. The marathon match, which lasted 97 minutes at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, concluded with a scoreline of 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 in favor of the Indian.
Lakshya Sen cruises into All England Open Championships final
Sen’s journey to the final has been nothing short of spectacular, marked by high-profile upsets throughout the BWF Super 1000 tournament. He opened his campaign by knocking out the world No. 1 and defending champion, Shi Yuqi, and maintained that momentum into the quarterfinals, where he defeated world No. 6 and reigning Asian Games champion Li Shi Feng. This consistent form has placed him on the brink of a historic achievement in one of badminton's most prestigious events.
The 24-year-old is now set to face world No. 11 Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in what will be the second All England Open final of his career. Sen previously reached the summit clash in 2022 but fell short against Viktor Axelsen. He now has the chance to join legends Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand as the only Indians to ever win the title. His opponent, Lin Chun-Yi, earned his spot by defeating former world champion and Olympic silver medalist Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the other semi-final.
Lakshya Sen braves pain to down Canada’s Victor Lai
In a high-stakes semi-final on Saturday, Lakshya Sen and Victor Lai were inseparable during the early exchanges, matching each other shot for shot. The momentum shifted when Sen, trailing 14-13 in the opening game, strung together three consecutive points to seize a slender lead. He capitalised on this surge to claim the first set 21-16, putting himself in a strong position early in the match.
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However, the second game presented a significant challenge for the Indian world No. 12 as a persistent blister issue on his right toe worsened. Exploiting Sen’s hampered movement, Lai raced to a four-point lead by the mid-game interval. Although Sen showed remarkable grit to claw back and level the score at 16-all, the Canadian held his nerve under pressure to take the set 21-18 and force a deciding third game.
The final set became a true test of endurance as Sen began to battle painful muscle cramps alongside his blisters. Despite the physical toll, he took the initiative from the start and built a 16-14 lead. Lai threatened a comeback by narrowing the gap to two points late in the game, but Sen remained unfazed. Displaying brilliant composure in their first-ever meeting, Sen secured a 21-15 victory in the decider to earn a shot at the title.
With this win, the Paris 2024 semi-finalist becomes only the second Indian male shuttler to reach two All England finals, following in the footsteps of his mentor Prakash Padukone, who achieved the feat in 1980 and 1981. While Sen prepares for his summit clash against Lin Chun-Yi, other Indian stars faced a tougher week in Birmingham. The top-seeded doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a disappointing first-round exit on Wednesday, and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was forced to withdraw after being stranded in Dubai due to regional travel disruptions.