All England Championships: Sensational Lakshya Sen dethrones Lee Zii Jia

Lakshya Sen continued his rich vein of form to dethrone Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia 21-13, 12-21, 21-19 in the semifinals of the All England Championships on Saturday. The 20-year-old is just one step away from emulating the feat of his mentor Prakash Padukone and chief coach Pullela Gopichand. While Prakash, at whose academy Lakshya learned the nuances of the game and still trains, won it in 1980, Gopi had won it in 2001. “I’m very happy to be in the final. But I know it is still not over,” Lakshya said after he waltzed into the final.

On a day when the Indian fans were outnumbered by the Malaysians in Birmingham, Lakshya fought back from 12-16 in the decider to pack off the holder, who at one stage looked on course to defending his title. Playing from the difficult side of the court, Lakshya found his range even as Lee celebrated the 16th point with a 397 kph smash. His opponent seemed casual as Lakshya collected the next three points — one with a rally and the next two at the net. Lakshya then drew level with Lee at 18-18 with a ferocious crosscourt smash.

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Lakshya Sen is the the man to beat if his recent performances are any indication. Fresh from his win over world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the semifinals of the German Open last week, he dethroned Lee Zii Jia to make the final of the All England Championships in Birmingham on Saturday. But

Under pressure, Lee tried to tilt the scales but Lakshya’s net play at this critical juncture was so good that it would’ve made his guru Prakash proud. At 20-19, Lakshya induced Lee to commit an unforced error and as the Malaysian hit the shuttle wide, Lakshya threw up his racquet in delight and celebrated by pumping his