BADMINTON/Lin Chun-yi wins Taiwan's 1st men's singles title at All England Open

Taipei, March 9 (CNA) Lin Chun-yi (林俊易), 26, made history on Sunday when he won the men's singles competition at the 2026 All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, becoming the first Taiwanese to secure that title in the annual tournament.

Lin, currently world No. 11, defeated the 12th-ranked Indian ace Lakshya Sen 21-15, 22-20 in a grueling 57-minute final at the Utilita Arena.

In the opening game, Lin strategically employed a mix of clears and drops to keep Sen on the move, pouncing on every opportunity to launch his trademark aggressive attacks. Maintaining his composure after building a 14-9 lead mid-game, Lin successfully closed out the first game.

The second game proved more challenging, as Lin struggled with unforced errors, falling into an early 4-9 hole. He was trailing 8-11 at the technical timeout, fighting to find his rhythm against a resilient Sen, who had played a grueling three-game semifinal the previous day.

Following the break, Lin regained his footing and resumed his strategy of keeping his opponent moving across the court, before unleashing a series of heavy smashes. The Taiwanese left-hander eventually leveled the score at 14-14.

Despite losing an exhausting 46-shot rally that left both players breathless, Lin stayed focused. He reached match point at 20-19, and after being briefly leveled, he converted his second match point at 21-20 to secure the historic win.

Upon clinching the victory, which earned him the men's singles title and US$101,500 in prize money, Lin flopped on the court and clenched his fists, letting out a celebratory roar. He then tossed his jersey and racket to his fans in the crowd.

The victory at the Super 1000-level tournament extended Lin's dominant head-to-head record against Sen to 5-0. It also gave Lin a place in history as the first Taiwanese male shuttler to top the podium in the men's singles event at the tournament.

The previous best Taiwanese records were runner-up finishes in that event by Chou Tien-chen (周天成) and Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪), in 2020 and 2025, respectively.

Lin's world ranking is expected to break into the top 10 for the first time, when the BWF updates its standings later this week. Currently, he is ranked as Taiwan's No. 2 male badminton player. In mid-January, he claimed the India Open title, securing his first championship at a BWF Super 750-level tournament.

His title on Sunday was the fifth gained by a Taiwanese player in the annual All England Open Badminton Championships, following a win earlier Sunday by Ye Hong-wei (葉宏蔚) and Nicole Gonzales Chan (詹又蓁) in the mixed doubles competition, and women's singles titles won by retired legend Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) in 2017, 2018, and 2020.

Inaugurated in 1899, the All England Open remains one of the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) four prestigious Super 1000 events, the others being the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and the BWF World Tour Finals.