Lakshya Sen Secures Silver at All England Open 2026

Lakshya Sen's Journey to the Finals

Lakshya Sen will return home with a silver medal from the All England Open 2026 after narrowly losing in the men's singles final to Lin Chun-Yi from Chinese Taipei, with scores of 21-15, 22-20 on Sunday.

The 24-year-old athlete, who had already spent over five hours on the court leading up to the final, put up a valiant effort in the 57-minute match against the swift Lin, marking his second defeat in the All England finals.

The Final Showdown

Lin, who previously secured the Yonex-Sunrise India Open Super 500 title this year, made history by becoming the first men's singles player from Chinese Taipei to win at this prestigious event. Initially, Sen struggled to find his footing, but once he settled into his rhythm, he began to challenge Lin with longer rallies.

Despite reaching the finals in 2022, Sen faced difficulties with the depth of his lifts and tosses, allowing Lin to capitalize and take the first game. In the second game, Sen needed a win to stay in contention and increased the pace of the rallies, scoring six consecutive points to lead 9-4 before Lin began to recover.

As the match progressed, Lin engaged Sen in exhausting rallies and gained control. With a match point at 20-19, Sen fought hard to save it, but ultimately, Lin clinched the title on his second match point.

Road to the Final

Earlier in the tournament, Sen made history by becoming only the second Indian to reach two All England finals, defeating Canada's Victor Lai in a tough semifinal match on Saturday. Despite battling blisters on his right toe, Sen triumphed with scores of 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 after an intense hour and 37 minutes.

Sen's mentor, Prakash Padukone, had previously reached the All England finals in 1980 and 1981, winning the title in his first appearance.