Lakshya Sen Wins Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026, Claims Second Straight BWF Super 500 Title

Indian ace badminton player Lakshya Sen came up with a wonderful performance to clinch the Kumamoto Japan Masters 2026 crown. The men's singles title was won by eighth seed Lakshya when he beat the Japanese Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a great three-game battle in the final that took place on Sunday. In the one-hour and four-minute game, Lakshya staged a wonderful comeback after losing the first game. He thus claimed his second successive BWF World Tour Super 500 crown. This comes after having previously won the Hailo Open.

Playing before his home fans, Watanabe got off to a great start in the game, scoring a 21-13 victory in the first game. But Lakshya bounced back in the second game, winning 21-18 to take the scoreline to 1-1. Lakshya maintained his dominance in the deciding game. He didn't give Watanabe a chance to make a comeback and won 21-14 to claim the title. With this victory, Lakshya avenged his losses to Watanabe at the Singapore Open and Japan Open earlier this year. Lakshya's lead in their head-to-head record has increased to 5-3.

With this win, Lakshya Sen has become the first Indian badminton player to win the Kumamoto Masters Japan title. This tournament was started in 2023. Lakshya won five consecutive matches on his way to the title in Japan. He defeated Chi Yu-jen of Chinese Taipei 21-19, 21-18 in the first round. He then defeated Dong Tianyao of China 21-8, 21-14. In the quarterfinals, he defeated Yushi Tanaka of Japan 21-16, 21-15. In the semifinals, Lakshya faced a tough challenge against Alvi Farhan of Indonesia, but he won 21-12, 15-21, 21-11. He defeated Watanabe in the final to win the title.