New Delhi: After winning India Open 2022, shuttler Lakshya Sen on Sunday said that he did get a little nervous and anxious towards the end of the match, and he is feeling happy after pulling off a win in a crucial match.
Lakshya Sen won the men's singles final of the ongoing India Open 2022 here at the KD Jadhav Stadium. The 20-year-old defeated Singapore's Loh Kean Yew 24-22, 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted for 54 minutes. This is the first time that Sen has managed to win the Super 500 title in his career.
"This is the biggest World Tour tournament that I have managed to win. Winning feels good and the match, I would say that towards the closing stages, I was a bit nervous and anxious to finish off the game because it is a big tournament for me and that too playing in the finals, I managed to pull out points in the end. I am happy that I pulled off a win," said Sen during a virtual press conference.
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"I gave a couple of easy points towards the end in the first game. But I can say that I played calmly. I think we know each other's game a lot and what to expect from each other. We have had four encounters in the past six months, but yeah I am happy that I won today. It was a close match," he added.
When asked about his equation with Loh Kean Yew, Lakshya said: "I think he is a fun guy to be around, he is the funniest guy in the room. We are good friends off the court and when we play against each other, that rivalry is there. I think we spoke to each other after the semi-final. I had a long match and he was just going to play his semi-final."
Lakshya Sen was comfortably leading the first game, but world champion Kean Yew came from behind, and it was evenly poised at 22-22. The India shuttler then raised his game to win the first game 24-22.
The 20-year-old Sen continued with his momentum and he went on to win the summit clash in straight games.
"Yeah, I think playing patiently and going for the attack when it is needed, the attack today and in the semi-final match worked well for me. Some loose lifts that I got, I scored some winners in that. When the shuttle was behind, I was much more patient and I was using the drops well," said Lakshya.
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"I feel I played good physical matches. It will give me a lot of confidence to play matches coming up. No, I feel that rhythm was there, I just needed rest. I took a ten-day break and after coming back, I took care of my body," he added.
ANI
