Haren
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 – though rusty still from just re-entering the competitive orbit – isn’t a major concern, and first rounds are hardly causes to be tired. The easy answer would be, mental brittleness – send him off to his psychologist again. But it just doesn’t square up with the upset wins he nicks off time and again, when hanging off a cliff, like when he was struggling to qualify for the Olympics.
But Sen certainly suffers from finishing blues – they strike in fact, when he’s cruising. It’s not the usual complacency of not putting in enough work rate in long rallies. He in fact prolongs rallies to repair his positions, when in the middle of these shot-circuit phases. But his game-brain definitely freezes, goes into a limbo, and he lapses into playing defensively, hoping the rhythm of when he was leading will continue uninterrupted.
Except, in front of him is an opponent. Who inevitably throws the kitchen sink at Sen, and digs in his heels, and runs the claws over a blackboard – basically play a game to disrupt Sen. The Indian has often struggled to counter these desperate counters.
Lu Guang Zu is no mug. And it was to be expected that he would fight back. And having come so close to winning, cruising, before losing the second 19-21, Sen just couldn’t drag himself back into the fight in the third.
Lakshya Sen’s problems might look mental and get misdiagnosed as smugness. But there’s a tactical confidence crisis or confusion that kicks in at that stage, as he loses some of the bravado and proactive offense, and eases the foot on the pedal. Then those like Lu Guang Zu happily take control of his brakes.
