QUICK COMMENT: Why does Lakshya Sen fritter so many winning positions? | Badminton News
In his 12-21, 21-19, 21-14 loss to Lu Guang Zu of China at Odense, Lakshya Sen found 5 rallies to overthink / switch off and cede momentum. That was from leading 21-12, 16-11 in the second set – just 5 points away from a gettable victory – to getting into such a mental funk that both his shot selection and confidence plummeted to the floor. Midway through the third, it was a lost cause. Post his second straight first-round exit, this time at Denmark Open, after going out in Round of 32 at Finland last week, Sen is looking utterly lost. His manner of drawing out defeats from seemingly winnable positions, is an old problem. At the Olympics it was exacerbated against both Viktor Axelsen and Lee Zii Jia, because of the blinding spotlight of the occasion, with a medal at stake. But autumnal Denmark in a Tour event couldn’t possibly pose the same debilitating pressure? So, what ails Sen, on the final stretch in a match, when he’s wretchedly close to winning? His fitness …
