4 min readMumbaiOct 31, 2026 10:44 PM ISTFILE - Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen in action. (AP)When you play Toma Jr Popov, the 6-ft-5 giant from France – as Lakshya Sen did – there are two dimensions to tackle. One is his looming reach in retrieves, and then there’s his pre-dominant doubles stye of play that he can deploy whenever he finds the shuttle pliant – fast, flat exchanges that increase the pace and intensity of rallies to scorching level. Sen made a mockery of both those assets at the Frenchman’s disposal with a zapper of a jump smash, to win the semifinals of the Hylo Open at Saarbrucken, Germany.Sen, down to World No 14 now, made the second final of the season with a 21-17, 21-13 win, bookending his 2026 with the All England and the German Super 500 with little of note in between. But he’s been intimidatingly good at both those events, pointing once again to the fact that he can never be written off. For his good days are devastatingly good just as his bad days are pitifully poor. It’s a straight function of how his back is coping, and he would be a fool to chase consistency with that injury-prone back.But when the spine can torque and trust & turn in defense, Sen can be lethal.He fancies Germany – he even beat Viktor Axelsen there once. And like the comms noted, Sen looked “in the mood” – for his up and down form is now well documented. Toma Jr though faced quite the brunt.ALSO READ | Sindhu dashes Anmol hopes of Hylo final, with a 21-13, 21-16 swattingFrance lucked out at the Thomas Cup in May when Sen suffered a freak elbow impact injury and couldn’t play the semis. But at Hylo Open, Sen was out to show up the Eiffel Tower-scaled Frenchman. He won badminton’s most basic question: Who has the biggest smash? You would reckon that Toma Jr from his vantage would pepper down steep cannonballs. But the Indian was better on every smash metric.More winners in yield. Better zip to the smash. Placement perfect – not just when he buried them onto the court from a well-timed jump and that catapult elbow snap. But also when he used the body smash angling it into Toma Jr’s ribs making it impossible for the man-mountain to parry it away.Toma Jr peaked at 15-17 in the opener with a 374 kph hit winner after 31 shots. But Sen was in such a frenzy that he not only defended most of the World No 13 Frenchman’s steep downward strokes, but also belted some really hard hit bangers at a relentless pace over the 41 minutes.Story continues below this adThe French take pride in their physicality and the thumping style they play. But Sen not only matched the speed and strength, he also pulverized Toma Jr with explosive net attacks and crisp winners that preyed on his naturally restricted agility. Toma’s court coverage and defense isn’t shabby, but Sen was in murderous mode with his attacks on the day as he went from 8-7 to 14-7 in the second set and cantered to win it 21-13.Sen has a Thomas Cup bronze and Asian Games team bronze to show for this season after he had looked so promising making the All England final, losing to Lin Chun Yi. There, he had flunghis racquet high in his statement celebration defeating Shi Yuqi in Round 1. The Chinese would get his revenge later and even mock the celly. Sen, meanwhile, stewed from the shock exits at World Championships and Asian Games.But the racquet was once again airborne as he made the Hylo final – the tournament name eponymous with the contours of his high-low season. Still, a title is awaited. And he will need to fight the winner of Jonatan Christie and Anders Antonsen from the second semifinal. Against Toma Jr though, he brooked no resistance.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdShivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely... Read More AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...Oct 31: Latest News01Physical intimacy cannot be branded as rape merely because relationship soured: Supreme Court02Scolded over chocolate, 12-year-old girl drowns toddler, covers water tank with slab035 historic prisons around the world where you can now check in04Goa cop calls teen to police station over cyber complaint, ‘sexually assaults’ her05UP SIR: Bulk Form 7s not filed as per rules, not acted upon by EROs, EC tells SCAdvertisementAdvertisement