All England Open 2026: Lakshya beats Lai to set up title clash against Lin Chun-yi
Ace Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stormed into the All England Open Badminton Championships men’s singles final with a hard-fought win over Victor Lai of Canada in the semifinals here on Saturday.
The 12th-ranked Sen beat world number 16 Lai 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 in the match that lasted one hour and 37 minutes.
Lai had won a bronze medal in the world championships in Paris last year.
This will be Sen’s second final appearance in the prestigious tournament, having finished runner-up in 2022.
AS IT HAPPENED: LAKSHYA SEN VS VICTOR LAI HIGHLIGHTS
Sen, who continued his dream run in the BWF Super 1000 tournament, will face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in the final on Sunday.
Chun-Yi beat world number two Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the other semifinal on Saturday.
Sen had beaten China’s world No. 6 Li Shi Feng in straight games in the quarterfinals on Friday. He had stunned world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China in the first round.
Published on Mar 07, 2026