A list of Indians to reach the All England Open Championship final

The prestigious badminton tournament is highly competitive and only twice has there been an Indian winner.

When it comes to badminton tournaments, then the All England Open Championship is one of the oldest and biggest out there. It is a dream of every shuttler to secure a win in one of the categories at the championship. The 2022 edition of the tournament is taking place from 16 March 2022 to 20 March 2022. Several Indian players took part in their respective categories and one has stood out amongst them.

Lakshya Sen created history by becoming only the fifth Indian to reach the final of the All England Open Championship in the ongoing edition. He follows in the footsteps of some legendary badminton names from India and will back himself to win the title. In the long history of the All England Open, there has been an Indian winner on only two occasions.

Sen’s achievement is extremely commendable. Furthermore, it provides a perfect opportunity to look back at the past Indian players who also reached the final of the All England Open Championships:

Prakash Nath - 1947

The first Indian to reach the final of the All England Open Championship was Prakash Nath. He did so way back in 1947, about 75 years ago. The shuttler was one of the two Indians contesting in the men’s singles bracket, with Davinder Mohan being the other.

Nath reached the final where he came up against Sweden’s Conny Jepsen. The final was a one-sided contest, with Jepsen securing a 15-7, 15-11 victory. 

Prakash Padukone - 1980

Prakash Padukone is regarded as one of the best shuttlers India has ever produced. He was the first to win at the All England Open Championships in the men’s singles. He achieved the feat way back in 1980 and also became the second Indian shuttler to reach the final.

Padukone did not drop a single game in the whole tournament. He won the title by defeating Indonesia’s Liem Swie King by a 15-3, 15-10 scoreline.

Pullela Gopichand - 2001

Pullela Gopichand is credited for the meteoric rise of Indian shuttlers in the last decade and more. Before acting as a kingmaker/queenmaker, he was the king of badminton himself. After all, he is only the second Indian shuttler to win a category at the All England Open Championship. 

The shuttler secured the win at the 2001 edition in the men’s singles by defeating Chen Hong of China in the final by a 15–12, 15–6 scoreline. Infact, much like Prakash Padukone, Gopichand too did not lose a single game and won all his ties in straight games. 

Saina Nehwal - 2015

Saina Nehwal is one of the finest female badminton players from India. A path-breaker in every right, she laid the foundation for Indian shuttlers to thrive on. The record-breaking shuttler became the first Indian female to reach the final of the All England Open Championship in 2015. 

Reaching the final of the women’s singles, she met her arch-rival Carolina Marin in the final. The Spaniard, unfortunately, got the better of her. She beat Nehwal by a score of 16-21, 21-14, 21-7. 

Lakshya Sen - 2022

Lakshya Sen is the latest to enter this exclusive list of players who are finalists at the All England Open Championship. The 20-year-old is also the youngest to achieve this feat. He was unseeded before the competition began and caused upset after upset to reach the final, beating defending champion Lee Zii Jia in the semi-final.

Furthermore, Sen received a lot of praise after winning the bronze at the BWF World Championships in 2021. He is the future of Indian badminton and considering his present performances, the future of India in badminton is extremely bright. 

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