Tata Open International Challenge: Rivalry brewing between Lakshya Sen and Kunlavut Vitidsarn as duo lock horns in final

Mumbai: A cursory glance at the men’s singles draw of the Tata Open International Challenge tournament would suggest a grand finale between two 17-year-olds Lakshya Sen and Kunlavut Vitidsarn. It’s not a Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan or a Viktor Axelsen vs Kento Momota clash, but the quality that the two young shuttlers offer is something that the junior and the senior circuit will pay heed to. [caption id=“attachment_4455563” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Lakshya Sen. Image courtesy: Twitter @BAI_Media[/caption] After all, these are two of the most feared and successful junior shuttlers right now and 2018 has been a year full of surprises for the teenage sensations. Lakshya has won an Asian Junior Championships gold, Youth Olympics silver, and a World Junior Championships bronze. Meanwhile, Vitidsarn has World Junior Championships, Shera-Roza-BTY, Pembangunan Jaya Raya GPG and the German Open titles to his name along with a silver medal at the Asian Junior Championships. So, there’s hardly anything to separate the two. In fact, there’s a possibility of a new rivalry brewing between Sen and Vitidsarn. “You can say that. These two players are from the same age category and Kunlavut (Vitidsarn) has been very consistent in junior badminton. He also has some good results at the senior level. Him, Lakshya Sen, Kodai Naraoka and Li Shifeng, these four have been consistent. They can all, in the next couple of years, establish at the senior level. They’re already doing well at Challenger tournaments,” coach Vimal Kumar told Firstpost. Sen had beaten Vitidsarn in the final of the Asia Junior Championships in July, while just a few days ago, Vitidsarn powered past Lakshya in a three-game thriller in the World Junior Championships semi-finals. On Sunday, the duo is set to cross swords, for the first time on the senior circuit, in the men’s singles title clash. It has been an easy route to the final for the aggressive Viditsarn. The Thai shuttler, who idolises Ratchanok Intanon, is yet to drop a game in the tournament so far. None of the opponents posed a serious threat to him. “He’s quick with an excellent retrieving ability. He runs and covers the court with ease. It’s not easy to hit the shuttle down the line against him. If he gets the flow, he retrieves everything. He can play good deceptive drop shots and half smashes. So, that can catch opponents off guard. Lakshya has to be clever and keep pace with them,” Kumar added. Meanwhile, Lakshya survived a scare in the semi-finals against yet another Thai shuttler Kantawat Leelavechabut as he took a while to find the rhythm in the opening stanza. However, the Indian shuttler relied on his jump smashes and quick winners to smother his opponent in the next two games. Kantawat did not know what hit him as he lost the second game 21-9 and then the decider 21-12 without a fight. “At times, he starts slow. Also, if there’s a big lead, he loses concentration. He needs to work on such things. I was quite happy with the way he attacked against Kantawat after losing the opening game,” said Kumar. But can Lakshya tame Vitidsarn with his immaculate attacking intent? “Not necessarily. Kunlavut’s retrieving skills can leave any opponent panting. Just don’t let him get into the rallies. Lakshya has a better attack, while Vitidsarn plays strong rallies and hits powerful strokes from every corner,” Kumar explained. Kumar went on suggesting that the finale is a pure attack vs defence showdown. “Whoever controls the shuttle in the tiny Cricket Club of India hall will have a slight edge in the final. It’s not easy to retrieve under such circumstances,” he said. A year after being denied the Tata Open title by yet another Thai player Sitthikom Thammasin in three close games, it’s time for Lakshya to take the silverware home. It won’t be an easy affair in this edition but he must draw confidence from his Asian junior title win.