NewzVille Desk
It was a moment to cheer for 2022 champion, as India registered a 3-0 result over Chinese Taipei to make the semifinals of the Thomas Cup.
Such a scoreline for India, question arises how it happened.. for much of the opening match between Chou Tien Chen and Lakshya Sen. It was after Sen converted a lost cause into a winning one that his team found the extra belief to achieve the whitewash.
Sen had taken punishment all through the first and deep into the second, with Chou outplaying him and hammering smashes down his flanks. Unable to get into rhythm, and shoulders slumping, the Indian was slipping out of it at 9-14 in the second. Yet he hung in there, scratching up a point here and a point there, sheer tenacity rather than assurance keeping him going.
At 20-18 in Chou’s favour, Chinese Taipei looked well on their way to justify their status as pre-tournament favourites.
Sen’s sheer tenacity would break Chou’s focus. The two match points disappeared in a flash, and suddenly the Indian levelled 1-1.
The missed match points had taken something off Chou; the hustling energy was missing; the heavy pressure from the back lessened. Sen surged ahead to take the match.
“I was thinking too much, too many thoughts in my head, and a bit of nervy start in the first,” said Sen. “I tried to let go, but overall, I was just trying to pump myself. I wasn’t comfortable. I was mostly down, I just told myself to keep going, that I was playing the right game, but I was making unforced errors.
“I felt I was checking if I should attack or defend and the first game was over. I just took an approach of not waiting for things to happen; just to attack more and be proactive in the closing stages. I felt I was thinking too much; my coach was telling me I was thinking too much, and just to go with my instinct.”
“In the second game i tried not to think so many things, I just was a bit tentative in the beginning, but then went all out. Every point I told myself that it’s possible.”
Then the supreme authority was to follow. Rankireddy and Shetty too had their backs to the wall but stole the opening game from Chiu Hsiang Chieh/Wang Chi-Lin.
“Really important win, especially after the way Lakshya played,” said Shetty. “He was down, but in the very end he saved match points and won us the match. It really boosted our morale. When we went on court we wanted to win that point.
“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, it’s important that you pump yourselves up because rankings don’t matter in these events.
“But you can’t be over-excited. You need to find a balance, you can’t be too excited. It’s a very thin line; you have to be charged up, while being smart. We found that sweet spot.”
Then, the tie decider, 20-year old Ayush Shetty taking on the All England champion Lin Chun-Yi. Calm and composed Shetty played with the assurance of someone far more experienced and accomplished compared to him. The All England champion looked lost at times, struggling to contain the big blows from the other side.
Ayush Shetty, like others before him, referred to the turnaround that Sen had achieved – the extra belief that this was their day.
“Lakshya coming back and showing how it’s done, that was really inspiring. I was more nervous during his match than mine. And it made a big difference”, Shetty said appreciating Sen.
