Lakshya Sen wins Australian Open title with dominant win over Japan’s Yushi Tanaka
The 24-year-old finished the match 21-15, 21-11 in just 38 minutes to claim his first title of the season and mark a strong return to form after a difficult post-Olympic period.
For Lakshya and the Indian badminton team, this win ended a long period without championships; This was a phase where top players were often nearing the finish line but unable to capitalize on those chances.
Lakshya Sen’s semi-final thriller adds momentum
Lakshya’s victory came a day after he produced one of the bravest performances of the year in the semi-finals, surviving a marathon 86-minute fight against world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.
The Indian player, who lost the first match 17-21, showed a remarkable composure to overcome the second 24-22 and continued his momentum and achieved the result 21-16. His defensive prowess, increased length and sharper net play eventually broke the 35-year-old Taiwanese star, whose movement weakened in the closing stages.
Tanaka prevails in summit clash
That hard-fought semi-final victory set up the summit clash against Tanaka, the world number 26 and two-time Super 300 champion at this year’s Orléans Masters and the US Open. Riding on the confidence of his comeback victory, Lakshya dominated the final with sharp control, accurate placements and quick finishes that kept Tanaka under pressure from start to finish.
Confidence booster in a challenging season
This title is an important turning point for Lakshya. His previous win was achieved in the Syed Modi Super 300 in 2024, and his last Super 500 title was won at the Canadian Open in the same year.
He also reached the Hong Kong Super 500 final earlier this season but missed out on the trophy. Sunday’s victory not only ends his title drought, but also strengthens his resurgence on the BWF World Tour.
With this win, the Commonwealth Games champion became the second Indian to win the BWF World Tour title this season after Ayush Shetty’s win in the US Open Super 300.
India had several close finishes, including Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reaching the finals at the Hong Kong and China Masters, while Kidambi Srikanth finished second at the Malaysia Masters, making Lakshya’s title even more important for India’s 2025 campaign.
