Sometimes, The Hardest Battles Lead to The Sweetest Victories: Lakshya Sen After Canada Open Triumph

India’s Lakshya Sen won the men’s singles title at the Canada Open 2023 after beating reigning All England champion and World Number 10 Li Shi Feng of China in straight games.

The 21-year-old Indian, who had claimed his maiden Super 500 title at the 2022 India Open, mixed incredible speed and power to outshine reigning All England champion Feng 21-18 22-20 in a thrilling summit clash in Calgary on Sunday.

“Sometimes, the hardest battles lead to the sweetest victories. The wait is over, and I am delighted to be crowned the Canada Open winner! Grateful beyond words,” Lakshya Sen posted on social media after the win.

This is Lakshya’s second BWF World Tour 500 title as he previously won the India Open in January 2022.

“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,” Sen told PTI after the win.

“I had to dig deep in some matches, the conditions were different and getting used to it was important,” the ace shuttler said.

This win will be a much-needed boost for Sen, who had slipped to world No. 19 after struggling to find his form early in the season.

A former world No. 6, Sen, who claimed bronze at the 2021 World Championships, had undergone nose surgery for a deviated septum after the World Championships last August and took a lot of time to recover post-treatment.

The Indian is currently ranked 19 in the world defeated WR-4 Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in Round of 32, WR-11 Japan’s Kento Nishimoto in semis and WR-10 China’s Li Shi Feng in the summit clash to clinch the title.

This was Sen’s first title since claiming his maiden gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in August last year. He is also the second singles player from the country to win a title this year, following HS Prannoy’s victory at Malaysia Masters in May.

(With inputs from Agencies)