Placed in a tough draw and arriving under difficult circumstances, the spotlight will be on Lakshya Sen and his attempt at defending the men's singles title at the India Open 2023.
Lakshya Sen wrote his spotlight in 2022 following his sensational victory in the India Open where he defeated Loh Kean Yew in straight games in the final. The 21-year-old then finished runners-up at the All England Open and also helped the Indian side to a historic and unprecedented Thomas Cup victory. Sen also crowned the year with a gold medal won at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games but now, heading into 2023, the pressure of expectations will be greater on him.
Will he be able to match the highs of the previous year and keep continuing to make important steps of progress? The India Open 2023 where Lakshya Sen will have to defend his men’s singles crown against some of the biggest names in the sport could end up providing an answer to that question.
The early signs so far are quite ominous though. At the season opening Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament, Sen fell to fellow compatriot HS Prannoy after a gruelling 22-24, 21-12, 21-18 that lasted a little over an hour.
Sen had arrived into that game with a narrow 3-2 advantage having faced Prannoy five times before but by the end of the night, parity had been restored in the head-to-head battle.
While there was no shortage to intensity and pace in the contest, the 21-year-old from Almora was guilty of making a series of unforced errors in the second game and then resorting to an aggressive approach that Prannoy saw coming and managed to outwit.
Sen also lost his head on a couple of occasions and even flung his racquet in frustration after a few line calls didn’t go his way.
That loss to Prannoy could prove to be overbearing on Sen heading into the India Open given that the duo, along with Kidambi Srikanth, have been clubbed together in the same ‘quarter of death.’
It means that if they manage to succeed, only one out of the golden trio will be able to reach the quarter-final while the field of opponents will also include reigning World and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, China's Shi Yu Qi and Japan's Kento Momota.
If that wasn’t gruelling and challenging enough, the defending champion will have to begin his campaign in a rematch of the Malaysia Open and come face to face with Prannoy once again. The winner of that clash will probably end up squaring off against the legendary shuttler Momota who will be desperate for better form and consistency after having a poor 2022.
Sen, however, has refused to throw in the towel early on and remains unfazed by the challenge. "I've got a good chance to retain the title. I mean it is a tough draw, there are lots of good players in the same quarter, but I am looking to play all of them," he said.
"This time there will be crowds. During the All-England final last year, I was star-struck by the crowd. It was a packed stadium and when you play in front of fans, it gives you extra motivation, so looking forward to it."
Moreover, Sen has been working on variations in his game ahead of the new season and has also put a lot of work on his fitness after his nose surgery last year kept him on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time.
“I worked a lot on my speed, quickness in attacking and variation from the backcourt. I am steadily working on my defence,” he added.
It remains to be seen whether these tweaks will help him gain an upper hand over his rivals but what is pretty clear is that if he wishes to retain his title, he will have to go the arduous way. However, a successful title defence against a field of established superstars and winners may just be what it takes to unlock a new level in his game and allow Sen to take the next step in his career in 2023.