German Open 2022 badminton: Lakshya Sen stuns Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen to make final
The Indian badminton player put up a valiant effort to beat world No. 1 Axelsen 21-13, 12-21, 22-20 in the semi-finals.
Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen scripted a spectacular comeback against Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Viktor Axelsen to make the men’s singles final at the German Open 2022 in Mulheim on Saturday.
Lakshya Sen won the match 21-13, 12-21, 22-20, denying Axelsen right at the end.
This was world No. 12 Lakshya Sen’s first-ever win against Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, the world No. 1 in the current badminton rankings,
In their four prior meetings, all within the period of the last two years, Lakshya had never beaten the Danish ace. All four matches ended in straight game victories to the Dane.
Lakshya Sen, 20, made a good start to the match, racing to a 11-7 lead heading into the first break. Despite Axelsen’s best efforts to mount a comeback, the Indian youngster took the first game 21-13. It was the first time Lakshya Sen won a game against Axelsen.
The Indian badminton player held the momentum in the initial stages of the second game and looked fairly comfortable with a 8-3 lead. This time, though, Axelsen found a response and turned the tables to take the match into a decider.
The third game saw Lakshya Sen stay on Axelsen’s heels until the score was 5-5 but the experienced Dane broke away from there and took a 19-15 lead.
Just when it seemed that the Dane was cruising to an easy win, Lakshya took the next five points and eventually won the hour-long contest on the back of an astonishing comeback.
Lakshya Sen will face Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world No. 20, for the BWF Super 300 title. Vitidsarn defeated Malaysian world No. 7 Lee Zii Jia in the other semis.
Lakshya Sen is the only Indian shuttler alive at the German Open. PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal lost in the second-round of women’s singles while Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy crashed out in the quarter-finals of the men’s division.
Where to watch Lakshya Sen vs Kunlavut Vitidsarn German Open 2022 final in India?
Live streaming of the German Open 2022 badminton final between Lakshya Sen and Kunlavut Vitidsarn will be available on the subscription-based Voot Select platform in India. There is no telecast of the German Open in India.