Why Lakshya Sen was sensational

Coach U Vimal Kumar hails ward for varying his pace during the India Open final in which he stunned reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew

It was a Super Sunday for shuttler Lakshya Sen. The World Championships bronze medallist won his maiden Super 500 title by clinching the Yonex-Sunrise India Open by defeating reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore. U Vimal Kumar, Sen's coach at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore, hailed the youngster for showing his maturity on the court in his 24-22, 21-17 win.

"I would give full credit to Lakshya for this win. Loh was not allowed to use his smashes as Lakshya varied the pace. If you look at the rallies, Loh couldn’t dictate. He did run out of ideas. In fact, Lakshya had grueling games in his last two matches, whereas Loh got a walkover in the semi-finals. Both the games Lakshya was dictating the rallies and was on top," Vimal Kumar told www.mid-day.com after Sen's stunning win on Sunday.

U Vimal Kumar

Sen and Loh had a 2-2 head-to-head record with the Indian losing two of the last three meetings. In Sunday's final, Sen grabbed a 9-6 lead before entering the break with a three-point advantage. He was more polished with his strokes and net play, while Loh was erratic. Sen was leading 16-9 and continued to control the rallies, leading 19-14. Later, a series of errors saw Loh make it 19-19. Loh grabbed a game point when Sen erred at net. The Indian saved two game points, wasted one himself but kept his cool to close out the opening game with a precise return at the backline.

After the change of sides, Loh ran up a 4-1 lead but Sen came up with a barrage of aggressive returns to make it 6-6. The duo played some exciting rallies with quick reflexes but Sen managed a two-point advantage at the interval. He kept the match under control and eventually moved to three championship points with two superb smashes. Talking about the final, Vimal Kumar explained that he is happy with the way Sen handled his fancied opponent.

"He played loose and allowed Loh to get back in the first especially when he was up 19-14 in the first. In the second too Lakshya was up 16-11. I am happy today because he played a very mature game. When you are on the verge of winning..it’s that anxiety that can drain you. He applied himself better and found a way to take a tactical break and pulled through," remarked Vimal Kumar.
 
With inputs from PTI

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