Lakshya Sen wins second BWF Super 500 Championship against China’s Li Shi Feng

Lakshya Sen made an excellent effort to win his second BWF Super 500 championship, defeating China’s Li Shi Feng in men’s single in the Canada Open final. The 21-year-old Almora player displayed extraordinary badminton talents, combining tremendous speed and power to outclass defending All-England champion Feng in an intense top duel.

Sen won with scores of 21-18 and 22-20, demonstrating his extraordinary skill and unshakable persistence and adding another important championship to his increasing list of triumphs. Lakshya’s triumph in the competition is his second BWF World Tour championship, after winning the India Open in January 2022. Lakshya, who is now rated 19th, defeated Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world’s fourth-ranked player.

So this win will be a big boost to my confidence: Lakshya Sen

He then defeated Japan’s Kento Nishimoto, the world number 11, in the semifinals to go to his second Super 500 final and first BWF summit fight in over a year. Lakshya won the game 21-17, 21-14. Sen told PTI after the win, “Coming into the Olympic qualification year, it was tough as things didn’t go my way. So this win will be a big boost to my confidence. I had to dig deep in some matches, the conditions were different, and getting used to it was important.”

Lakshya had nose surgery for a deviated septum after the World Championships in August and required a long time to recuperate. His most recent final appearance came in August of last year at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. While two times Olympic medalist PV Sindhu has failed to book a finale ticket after losing 14-21 15-21 to world No. 1 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in her women’s singles semifinal.

Sen kept things close to earn his sixth win in seven encounters against the Chinese player, thanks to some spectacular rallies laced with fast-paced net exchanges. He kept it tight at the net and hit a succession of down-the-line and cross-court smashes to challenge Li Shi Feng, who went behind 2-6 in the first game. Another rally finished with Sen taking advantage with a crisp return on Li’s forehand, and he sealed it with another power-packed smash at the end. The BWF World Tour has six levels: World Tour Finals, four Super 1000, six Super 750, seven Super 500, and eleven Super 300.