Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen settled for the silver medal at the All England Open 2026 after going down 21-15, 22-20 to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in the men’s singles final on Sunday.
The 24-year-old produced a determined effort in the 57-minute contest but was unable to overcome the fast and relentless Lin, who made history by becoming the first men’s singles player from Chinese Taipei to win the prestigious All England title.
For Sen, it was another heartbreaking finish at the tournament, having also reached the final in 2022. Despite showing flashes of brilliance during the match, the Indian eventually fell short against an opponent who maintained sharp pace and control throughout the encounter.
Sen entered the final after an exhausting run through the tournament, spending more than five hours on court across previous rounds. The accumulated fatigue appeared to affect the early stages of the match as Lin quickly settled into rhythm and forced the Indian onto the defensive.
Although Sen gradually found his footing and began pushing Lin into longer rallies, he struggled to generate the required depth in his lifts and clears. Lin capitalised on those openings, unleashing sharp cross-court winners to take control of the opening game and seal it 21-15.
Facing a must-win situation in the second game, Sen raised his intensity and started dictating the pace of rallies. The Indian strung together six consecutive points after trailing 3-4 to surge into a 9-4 lead, briefly putting Lin under pressure.
However, the Chinese Taipei player showed remarkable composure. By engaging Sen in extended rallies and forcing him to cover every corner of the court, Lin slowly clawed his way back into the contest.
As the game reached its decisive phase, Lin earned a match point at 20-19. Sen responded with determination, throwing everything into the rally to save the first opportunity and keep his hopes alive.
But the resistance proved short-lived. On the second match point, Lin maintained his composure and closed out the contest, sealing the championship and ending Sen’s valiant challenge.
Despite the defeat, the silver medal marks another significant achievement for Sen at one of badminton’s most prestigious tournaments. His run to the final once again demonstrated his ability to compete with the world’s best players on the biggest stages.
While the title narrowly slipped away, Sen’s performance throughout the tournament underlined his consistency and resilience, reinforcing his status as one of India’s leading contenders in men’s singles badminton.
