Shuttler Chirag Sen won the men’s singles title in the Senior National badminton Championships on Sunday and said the crown will motivate him to achieve success in the international circuit.
Chirag, brother of Lakshya Sen, beat fourth seed M. Tharun 21-14, 13-21, 21-9 in the final to win the national crown in Guwahati which Lakshya could never win, having finished second best twice in 2017 and 2019.
“It came a bit late but I am really happy to finally win this. I have been playing well for the last 3-4 months but now got that breakthrough. I am looking forward to doing well in the international circuit also,” Chirag, a winner of the 2020 Kenya International challenge, said.
The 25-year-old Chirag, who has been playing in the domestic circuit for the past few years, admitted that Lakshya had contributed much to his career growth.
“We both share a great bond. It has been a great journey for us as we have been in the academy together, taking care of each other and his contribution is immense
in my career,” said the world No. 97.
“During the Denmark camp, I got a lot of confidence as I was sparring with him. I got this feeling that I too have the game to beat the top 30 players. It is just that I have to play well during the match.”
While Chirag won the title, reigning Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya lost to fellow academy-mate Bharat Raghav in the quarter finals. Lakshya stayed back to support his elder brother.
“He waited for my final after cancelling his flight to Bangalore. He was sitting behind me along with my dad during the semi-final and final and it motivated me and helped me a lot.”
Chirag will have Lakshya as a sparring partner as he gears up for the Asian tour, including the Malaysia Open (super 1000), India Open (super 750) and Indonesia Masters (super 500).
The Uttarakhand shuttler, who started playing men’s doubles as well this year,
said he lost his confidence after facing losses in the senior circuit.
“It was about confidence. I was lacking in that earlier. When I started in the senior circuit I had faced a lot of losses and I didn’t have any confidence,” said Chirag,
who will be playing in Iran and Sri Lanka next.
“I started playing doubles with Dhruv (Rawat) this year. I trained in doubles and I feel it helped me as it is not usual for others as I have a mixed game.”
Former India coach Vimal Kumar said: “Chirag was always focused. Even now in the last 2 to 4 years, he was working hard. I am sure this title will motivate him and help him to do well on international stage.”
PTI
