“I was… in control of the game.” Lakshya Sen on how he defeated Loh Kean Yew at the India Open

In a new interview, Lakshya Sen, who beat World Champion Loh Kean Yew at the India Open earlier this month, admitted that he felt the pressure during the finals, but believed he could best the Singaporean athlete.

Sen, 20, who hails from Almora, defeated Loh, 24, 24-22, 21-17, in a 54-minute match on Jan 16 at the kickoff to the 2022 BWF World Tour season, taking home the prize of US$30,000 (SG$40,470)

It was his first Super 500 triumph, after having won the bronze at the BWF World Championship in December.

He is currently ranked number 13 in the world.

In an interview published in The Times of India on Tuesday (Jan 25), he credited his coaches for the game plan he claimed worked “really well” in defeating Loh.

“I stuck to how I wanted to play. All my shows were also going perfectly from the net. I was getting a good length and (Loh) couldn’t finish the rally on the first or second stroke, he had to work on the rally.

That way I was playing much more patiently than other matches and was in control of the game.”

Sen added that he and Loh had trained together in Dubai and that he had faced Loh in four matches in the past four to five months. However, in the run-up to the India Open, the Singaporean had won twice, and he had only won once.

This did not cause him to be shaken, saying, “I always had the confidence and belief that I could win the match, as I had beaten him before.”

He also, however, praised Loh, saying he “has been playing well on the World Tour circuit.”

The Singaporean athlete accepted his defeat graciously, writing “It didn’t turn out my way unfortunately, this only means there’s a lot more to work on. My heartiest congratulations to @senlakshya for playing a solid match today to be crowned the new India Open champion. ,” in an Instagram post the day after the championship.

“I was… in control of the game.” Lakshya Sen on how he defeated Loh Kean Yew at the India Open

As for Sen, immediately after his win, he wrote about how delighted he was to have won on his home turf.

“It’s always wonderful to win a title but winning a title in your home country always doubles the delight!!

Winner at the Indian open 2022

and my first ever super 500

A big Thank you goes out to all my supporters for the constant encouragement , my coaches, sponsors , and to my good friend and opponent for today’s match.”

“I was… in control of the game.” Lakshya Sen on how he defeated Loh Kean Yew at the India Open

He tagged Loh, among others, in his post on Instagram after the win.

Loh replied in a heartwarming exchange.

“I was… in control of the game.” Lakshya Sen on how he defeated Loh Kean Yew at the India Open

The Singaporean champ is hard at work training for the rest of the season.

Proof of this is a tweet from Danish badminton player Viktor Axelsen, the reigning Olympic Champion.

“@reallohkeanyew uncle Loh is tired!,” Axelsen tweeted on Jan 26 (Wednesday), showing a short video clip of a laughing Loh spread eagle on the floor of a badminton court.