Saves four game points at 20-16 in the second to march to second Super 500 title of career.
Lakshya Sen saved four game points in the second after taking the first to claim the Canada Open Super 500 at Calgary on Sunday. The six straight points he scored to win the championship showed the mental stranglehold he held over Chinese Li Shifeng throughout the game to win 21-18, 22-20 in 50 minutes.
Adding extra acceleration onto his flat drives, pouncing on every short lift and playing some ridiculously tight shots at the net, Sen went on to win his second Super 500 title of his career after the India Open, beating the reigning All England champion.
Sen took a 6-2 lead in the opener and zealously guarded it throughout the first set though Shifeng levelled at 15-all. Injecting pace into his returns, Sen would set up winners each time a loose shuttle floated his way as he showed the ability to collect points in a cluster. Even at 15-all, Sen went on the offensive straightaway with three quick points to not give away the initiative. Winning the opener gave him the mental edge over Shifeng in a match where both played at a punishing pace of rallies.
