TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi (林俊易) won the men’s singles title at the All England Open badminton championships on Sunday, defeating India’s Lakshya Sen in straight games.

Lin, nicknamed the “left-handed powerhouse,” defeated Sen 21-15, 22-20 in the final of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 1000 tournament. The victory marked the first time a Taiwanese player has won the prestigious men’s singles title and is expected to boost Lin’s world ranking, per CNA.

The All England Open, first held in 1899, is the world’s oldest badminton tournament and one of four Super 1000 events organized annually by the BWF.

Lin entered the tournament ranked No. 11 in the world, while Sen was ranked No. 12. Lin took an early 4-0 lead in the opening game and maintained control with a combination of long rallies and powerful smashes.

Despite fatigue after a demanding semifinal that went to three games, Lin was determined to start fast, building a 14-9 lead midway through the first game and later holding on to claim it 21-15.

In the second game, Lin struggled with unforced errors and fell behind 4-9, trailing 8-11 at the mid-game interval. After the break, he regained momentum by extending rallies and using his attacking play to level the score at 14-14.

The players traded points in a tightly contested finish, including one rally that lasted 46 shots. Lin earned his first match point with a smash to take a 20-19 lead. After the score was tied again, he secured the championship on his second match point at 21-20. Lin then celebrated by tossing his jersey and racket into the stands.

In related results, Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei (葉宏蔚) and Nicole Gonzales Chan (詹又蓁) won the mixed doubles title earlier Sunday. The pair defeated France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue 21-19 and 21-18, in a 46-minute final.