Lakshya Sen wins Canada Open in dramatic fashion, beats reigning All England champ Li Shi Feng
India's Lakshya Sen won the men's singles title at the Canada Open 2023 after defeating reigning All England champion China's Li Shi Feng in straight games 21-18, 22-20. This is Lakshya's second BWF World Tour 500 title as he previously won the India Open in January 2022.
Lakshya, the WR-19 player, defeated WR-4 Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Round of 32, WR-11 Japan's Kento Nishimoto in the semis, and WR-10 China's Li Shi Feng in the summit clash to clinch the title. This is his second World Tour 500 title, with the first one coming at India Open 2022.Β
After having a horrible 2023, the youngster has finally found some form in the all-important Olympic qualification cycle. Last year, he had aΒ surgery for a deviated septum, post which he was struggling to play at his best. But in this tournament, he showed, he is up and ready.
In the first game, Lakshya lead 6-2 and played in a dominating fashion. Li Shi Feng drew scores at 15-15, but the Indian sealed the next three which made way for him to secure the game. Come the second, the Chinese looked poised to take the match into the third game at 20-16, but Lakshya had other plans.
From there on he notched six consecutive points to win the title.
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β BAI Media (@BAI_Media) July 10, 2023
Lakshya defeated reigning All England winner π¨π³'s Li Shi Feng to clinch the title π₯π₯
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