Australian Open: Lakshya Sen’s brilliance and the lack of consistency

Lakshya Sen’s brilliance and the lack of consistency (Badminton Photo)

I write this with Lakshya Sen all set to play the final of the Australian Open Super 500 in a while from now. Sen, may I say, was actually Sen-sational in the semi-final against Chou Tien Chen (CTC), currently world number 6 and ranked 2 in the ongoing tournament. Lakshya had started slow and was not at his best in the first game. He lost it 17-21 and that’s when the resurrection started.

In the second game Sen had pushed his play up by a few notches. His defence was impeccable and his athleticism something to watch and admire. He was able to retreat the shuttle from every corner of the court and all of a sudden Chou was under pressure. Errors started to happen and Lakshya was starting to get control. However, as we have seen multiple times with Lakshya he just disappears from the game for a few minutes. That’s precisely what happened and CTC had 3 match points at 20-17.

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That’s when Lakshya staged a miracle. He conjured up the mental strength to not give up and dig deep. He managed to play some stellar smashes and saved three match points to take the game to a tie break. A lucky net chord meant CTC had match point again and yet again Sen managed to save it. Finally when CTC hit it long, Sen had the game at 24-22. It was an epic show of resilience and a never give up attitude and it was clear Lakshya had the ascendancy going into the decider.

The final game was a bit of a no contest. CTC had kind of thrown in the towel and even when he managed to save four match points and make it 16-20, it was always going to be Lakshya Sen. Much like the Paris Olympics where Lakshya had the better of CTC, it was yet again a match that shows why Lakshya is one of the most talented players in the circuit.

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This match also raises the question as to why Lakshya is not a top 10 player and is at number 14. Someone who can play like this and beat all the top ranked players deserves a top 10 spot. And yet when it comes to consistency Lakshya lacks it. For the longest time he has been this enigma who plays brilliant one day and very ordinary the next. Is it about recovery and physical ability or is it something to do with the mind? Either way Lakshya needs to do justice to all this talent that he has and win many more tournaments than he has.

Going forward with Lakshya just 24 and Ayush coming up the ranks well, he beat Kodai in this competition, Indian men’s badminton seems back on track. While Prannoy still has a year or two left, he could have left his best years behind and we need two strong men’s singles players to make impact on the circuit. Lakshya and Ayush are the two. It will help hugely if Lakshya wins the final for it can indeed do wonders to his confidence. With the Asian Games a year away, we need Lakshya to be at his best and also build the consistency that he has so far lacked.