Lin Chun-yi on Sunday made history when he won the men’s singles competition at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, becoming the first Taiwanese to secure the title in the annual tournament.
World No. 11 Lin defeated 12th-ranked Indian ace Lakshya Sen 21-15, 22-20 in a grueling 57- minute final at the Utilita Arena.
In the opening game, Lin strategically employed a mix of clears and drops to keep Sen on the move, pouncing on every opportunity to launch his trademark aggressive attacks. Maintaining his composure after building a 14-9 lead, Lin successfully closed out the first game.
Photo: AP
The second game proved more challenging, as Lin struggled with unforced errors, falling into an early 4-9 hole. He was trailing 8-11 at the technical time-out, fighting to find his rhythm against a resilient Sen, who had played a grueling three-game semi-final the previous day.
Following the break, Lin regained his footing and resumed his strategy of keeping his opponent moving across the court, before unleashing a series of heavy smashes. The Taiwanese left-hander eventually leveled the score at 14-14.
Despite losing an exhausting 46-shot rally that left both players breathless, Lin stayed focused. He reached match point at 20-19, and after being briefly leveled, he converted his second match point at 21-20 to secure the historic win.
Upon clinching the victory, which earned him the men’s singles title and US$101,500, Lin flopped on the court and clenched his fists, letting out a celebratory roar. He then tossed his jersey and racket to his fans in the crowd.
The victory at the Super 1000 tournament extended Lin’s dominant head-to-head record against Sen to 5-0. It also gave Lin a place in history as the first Taiwanese male shuttler to top the podium in the men’s singles event in Birmingham.
The previous best Taiwanese records were runner-up finishes by Chou Tien-chen and Lee Chia-hao in 2020 and last year respectively.
Lin is expected to break into the top 10 for the first time when the Badminton World Federation updates its standings later this week. Currently, he is ranked as Taiwan’s No. 2 male badminton player.
In mid-January, he claimed the India Open title, securing his first championship at a BWF Super 750 tournament.
His title on Sunday was the fifth gained by a Taiwanese player at the All England Open Badminton Championships, following a win earlier on Sunday by Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan in the mixed doubles, and the women’s singles titles won by retired legend Tai Tzu-ying in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Inaugurated in 1899, the All England Open is one of the Badminton World Federation’s four prestigious Super 1000 events, the others being the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the World Tour Finals.
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