Badminton / Lakshya Sen storms into Japan Masters final, eyes back-to-back BWF titles

Kumamoto, Nov 14: Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen continued his impressive run of form by securing a place in the men's singles final of the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026, defeating Indonesia's Alwi Farhan in a hard-fought semifinal on Saturday. The victory keeps alive his bid for a second consecutive BWF World Tour title and strengthens his push for qualification to the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.

The eighth-seeded Indian recovered from a second-game setback to defeat sixth seed Farhan 21-12, 15-21, 21-11 in a 69-minute contest at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. The win was particularly significant as it marked Sen's first victory over the Indonesian, having lost their previous two encounters.

Sen made an assertive start, taking control of the opening game with sharper net play and greater consistency in the rallies. Farhan, ranked World No. 10, struggled to find a response as the Indian established an early advantage and wrapped up the game 21-12.

The contest took a different turn in the second game, with Farhan using his speed and court coverage to disrupt Sen's rhythm. The Indonesian extended rallies and forced the Indian into a deciding game by taking the second 21-15.

Sen, however, regained control when it mattered most. He varied his attacking approach, looked to exploit Farhan's backhand and made better use of his opportunities to finish points. The Indian quickly opened up a gap in the decider and maintained his advantage to close out the match 21-11.

The semifinal victory extends an encouraging run for Sen, who arrived in Japan on the back of his title-winning campaign at the Hylo Open in Germany. He had beaten defending champion Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 in the final on November 1 to claim his first BWF Tour title since the Australian Open in November 2025.

His progress in Kumamoto has further underlined the turnaround in his form. Sen began with a straight-game win over Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen, followed it up by beating China's Dong Tian Yao and then defeated home favourite Yushi Tanaka to reach the semifinals.
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The Indian will now have an opportunity to add another trophy to his season tally, with either Thailand's second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn or Japan's Koki Watanabe awaiting him in Sunday's title clash.

The final could also prove crucial to Sen's hopes of qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals. He was placed 12th in the race ahead of the semifinal, with only the top eight earning places at the season-ending tournament in China. A second successive title would provide a major boost to his qualification hopes.
(IANS)