India’s Lakshya Sen won the men’s badminton singles title of Canada Open 2023 on July 10. The 21-year-old shuttler defeated reigning All England Open champion Li Shi Feng of China 21-18, 22-20 in the final.
Sen’s victory in the tournament marks his second BWF World Tour title, following his previous win at the India Open in January 2022. Ranked 19th currently, he defeated Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the fourth-ranked player in the world, in the Round of 32.
In the semifinals, he overcame Japan’s Kento Nishimoto, to advance to his second Super 500 final and his first BWF summit clash in over a year. He won the match 21-17, 21-14.
After undergoing nose surgery for a deviated septum after the World Championships in August 2022, Sen required considerable time to recover from the treatment. His last appearance in a final was at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in August 2022. Following a series of early exits from tournaments, he displayed signs of improvement when he reached the semifinals of the Thailand Open.
The Canada Open win is significant for Sen, as it gives him vital ranking points to inch ahead of Kidambi Srikanth in the race for qualification to the Paris Olympics.
