Dutch Open 2019: Lakshya Sen defeat Yusuke Onodera in three sets to win first BWF World tour title

It was an historic day for Indian badminton as Lakshya Sen defeated Yusuke Onodera of Japan to win the Dutch Open which is his first BWF World Tour title. The youngster won it in three sets by 15-21, 21-14,21-15.

Sen did not get off to a great start as his opponent took a 9-3 lead in the first set. Despite Sen reducing the gap to 13-14, Onodera played with aggressive intent and showed his class to win the first set 21-15. 

In the second game, both players took alternate points and were going neck to neck. Sen raised his game by a notch and took 6 points in succession to race to a 18-11 lead. 

The 18-year-old was in his zone and never gave Onodera a chance to comeback as he won the second set 21-14 to force the match into the decider. 

The third game saw Sen play with aggression right from word go. It was a dominating display by the Indian who showed his class to dominate the Japanese opponent to win the third set 21-15 and thus winning his first major BWF World title. 

In this tournament, other members of the Indian contingent, Sameer Verma and Sourabh Verma were knocked out in earlier rounds. This triumph will do a world of good for the young Indian shuttler who proved his worth on the world stage.

Sen is on a winning streak as he had won the Belgian International last month. The teenager is touted to be a future star as he has been showcasing his talents by winning titles at Junior level. Sen has won silver at the Youth Olympics, bronze at the World Championship last year and is the current Asian Junior Champion. 

The 18-year-old showed great skills and showed his true potential in the Dutch Open. 

In the first two rounds, Sen won matches in straight sets. In the round of-16, the Indian had to fight hard before winning in three sets against Ygor Coelho. 

It augurs well for Indian badminton and let us hope that this is the start of something big for the young Indian shuttler. 

Cover image courtesy: Indian Express