BADMINTON – TAIWAN’S Lin Chun-yi defeated India’s Lakshya Sen 21-15 22-20 to clinch his first All England Open title yesterday, while China’s Wang Zhiyi captured the women’s singles crown with a straight-games win over South Korea’s top seed An Se-young.
Lin, 26, showed great composure to deny Sen a chance at redemption following the Indian’s 2022 final loss to Danish great Viktor Axelsen.
The left-hander had already turned heads in the semi-finals, where he stunned 2023 world champion and second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.
Sen, who had knocked out defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China in the opening round, built a 9-4 lead in the second game as he sought to force a decider.
But Lin, ranked 11th in the world, steadied himself, and the pair traded a series of rallies before the Taiwanese shuttler seized control.
Lin dropped to his knees with his arms outstretched before roaring in celebration, savouring a landmark victory at one of badminton’s most storied tournaments.
His triumph capped a week in which the men’s singles draw opened up dramatically following early exits for several favourites, including Shi and Danish third seed Anders Antonsen.
In the women’s singles final, 25-year-old Wang claimed her maiden All England title and denied An a third crown.
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