Published: March 8, 2026 at 8:40 am
Former India badminton player-turned-coach U Vimal Kumar is over the moon over Lakshya Sen’s epic 21-16, 18-21, 21-15 semifinal victory over Canada’s Victor Lai in the All England badminton championship on Saturday. The celebrated coach describes the stupendous effort as an incredible display of courage, resilience, and heart on a badminton court.
The Indian shuttler overcame severe cramps and blisters during his semifinal match on Saturday. Lakshya secured his spot in the final, marking his second appearance there since 2022.
Resilient Lakshya overcomes Victor, to meet Lin Chun-Yi in final of All England Open
A performance to remember for generations: Vimal
Vimal said it is a performance to be remembered for generations. “Badminton at its toughest, and Lakshya at his bravest in All England Badminton semifinal today,” said Vimal.
“Lakshya, you have made us all incredibly proud. For me, the determination and resilience you showed today were truly unmatched. It was a physically draining contest of the highest intensity, yet you fought every point with remarkable courage,” pointed out the coach in his tribute to Lakshya’s incredible win.
To play through the match with a painful blister on your foot, without even being able to get treatment during the break and still push yourself despite the cramps — that speaks volumes about your fighting spirit, Vimal said about Lakshya Sen. Pics: Badminton Photo
Commentating further on the game, Vimal felt Lakshya employed the right tactics against Viktor Lai, controlling the pace of the match and refusing to give his opponent the fast rhythm he thrives on. “In the opening game, he kept him from settling into any real flow and dictated the terms of the rallies,” he said.
“The second game was a battle of sheer endurance, with long, punishing rallies. To fight your way back to 16–16 showed tremendous grit and character. The service fault call at that crucial moment was unfortunate and broke the momentum you had worked so hard to build,” he opined.
Vimal even praised Lakshya’s indomitable fighting spirit. “To play through the match with a painful blister on your foot, without even being able to get treatment during the break and still push yourself despite the cramps — that speaks volumes about your fighting spirit.”
The gentle coach concluded by saying: “A performance to remember.”
Vimal raps service judges
Vimal, however, came hard on the service judges calling faults at such crucial stages of a match, with players having no opportunity to challenge or review the decision. “It is something our sport needs to seriously address,” he said.
“At a key moment today, Lakshya was faulted on his serve, which completely disrupted his momentum. Even Viktor Lai was earlier given a fault for the shuttle allegedly touching his shirt. In situations like these, the players have no mechanism to dispute or review the call, even though the stakes are extremely high,” he added.
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The Bengaluru-based coach felt the Badminton World Federation should consider introducing a referral or review system for such decisions.
“Instead of constantly discussing changes to the scoring system, the BWF think tank should focus on improving these important aspects of the sport — ensuring fairness, accuracy, and giving players the confidence that crucial decisions can be reviewed. Badminton has evolved tremendously, and it is time that officiating systems evolve with it,” he said.
