All England Open 2022 Finals: Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen fight for the crown — Schedule, Where to Watch, Live Stream

Setting up another delicious clash with World No. 1 and reigning Olympic champion, Viktor Axelsen, Indian badminton sensation Lakshya Sen has ensured that fans are treated to an ultimate Sunday blockbuster at the All England Open 2022.

Follow the LIVE BLOG of the Finals here - All England Open 2022 Finals LIVE: Viktor Axelsen vs Lakshya Sen in title clash — Scores, Updates, Medal, Blog

Never having it the easy way but rather proving his mettle with every difficult match, the 20-year-old Lakshya Sen is in the mood to make more history as he is into the finals of the All England Open - the first Indian man to do so in 21 years, after Pullela Gopichand in 2001, from a time when ironically, Lakshya wasn't even born.

To say that watching Lakshya Sen on his giant-killing spree gives goosebumps would be an understatement because the World No. 11 from the hills of Almora, Uttarkhand makes you ride a wave of emotions utterly wild, till you are left sitting heart-in-mouth as Sen rips his winners and drop-shots.

If we have to sum up Sen's heroics over the fortnight, his CV will boast of having defeated World No. 5 Anthony Ginting, World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen, World No. 3 Anders Antonsen and only now, World No. 7 Lee Zii Jia. Phew!

In the semi-finals, Sen saw off a brilliant Lee Zii Jia, the defending champion in an all-too-nervewracking three-setter of a clash that had impeccable badminton on display from both sides. Sen took the first game alright but Zii Jia humbled Sen in the second and led for the better part in the decider but the comeback sensation that Sen is turning out to be - Lakshya switched gears to take over and won the match and up went the racquet for a ceremonial toss - 21-13, 12-21, 21-19.

On the other hand, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, 28 and still very much invincible booked his ticket into a fourth straight All England Open final, seeing off Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen, the World No. 4 in a rather ruthless display of badminton, to win in straight games, 21-13, 21-15.

READ | Loh, Lakshya, Lee: Can the badminton NextGen pass their most difficult test at All England?

Here's your match-up:

Men's Singles Finals - Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen

Not before 9:00 PM IST

Only last week during the German Open 2022 when Lakshya Sen clashed with Viktor Axelsen at the semi-finals of the Super 300 event, the fireworks flew too high as the match was a complete thriller - Gen Z vs Gen Y, if you will. Going down to the wire on that occasion as well, both Sen and Axelsen gave each other absolutely no breathing space and played some solid badminton before Sen, in a way he only knows how, pulled off a stunning comeback in the decider (again) to cause the big upset of defeating Axelsen, 21-13, 12-21, 22-20.

And just a week later, we have another match-up between these two fierce forces but now the stakes are higher - it is the elusive All England Open, a BWF Super 1000 event, one where Sen is a debutant and the other is a four-time finalist. The odds are large on paper but on the court, the story is not so stark as both know how to give the other a run for their money.

While it won't be easy at all to take down the mighty Dane at the stage of a final but Lakshya Sen's weaponry is a thing of wonder that he is unleashing one match at a time. As far as head-to-head stands, Lakshya, soon to be the World No. 9 has only defeated Axelsen once while the World No. 1 has had the last word in their 4 other meetings. At the All England finals, they will be meeting for the sixth time and with so much history at stake, it will assuredly be another edge-of-the-seat thriller.

Here's all you need to know:

Tournament: YONEX ALL ENGLAND OPEN BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

Date: 20th March 2022

Round: Finals - Gold medal clash

Venue: Utilita Arena Birmingham

City: Birmingham, United Kingdom

Category: BWF Super 1000

Prize Money: USD 1,000,000

Where to watch All England Open 2022?

The All England Open 2022 will be telecasted VH1, MTV, History TV 18 channels in India from 5:30 PM IST.

Where to live stream All England Open 2022?

The All England Open 2022 can be streamed live on Voot Select, Jio TV, BWF TV Youtube (Court 1 will require VPN).

When to watch All England Open 2022?

The All England Open 2022 finals between Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen will take place around 9:00 PM IST approximately and is the last match of the day.