New high in Indian badminton! Lakshya Sen’s Japan Masters triumph captures India’s best-ever BWF World Tour season
Indian badminton achieved a new high on Sunday after Lakshya Sen captured the Japan Masters 2026 title, coming from a game down to beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14. The final lasted one hour and four minutes at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. In the process, Lakshya became the first Indian to win the Japan Masters.
The eighth-seeded Indian secured back-to-back titles, following his Hylo Open win in Germany earlier this month. This was his second Super 500 title of the year and fifth overall at the level, placing him joint-second among men’s singles players.
Sen also became the first Indian men’s singles player to win two World Tour titles in a season since Kidambi Srikanth won four Superseries titles in 2017. After losing the opening game 13-21, Sen raced to a 5-0 lead in the second, eventually building a nine-point cushion.
Watanabe answered with seven consecutive points, but Sen held firm to take the game 21-18. In the decider, the Indian went into the interval at 11-7 before winning six points on the trot. A late fightback from Watanabe narrowed the gap, but Sen closed out the match 21-14 to secure the title.
How Indians fared in 2026 BWF World Tour?
The win takes India’s tally at Super 300 and higher-level tournaments outside India to nine titles and four runner-up finishes in 2026. This surpasses the previous best of six titles and three runner-up finishes in 2023, making it India’s most successful season by this measure.
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu has won two titles this year, including Japan Open (Super 750) in July and Hylo Open (Super 500) in November. She also finished runner-up in the French Open (October 2026), a Super 750 tournament.
Women’s singles competition earned India the most titles, with a total of five titles, including two from Sindhu. This surpasses the previous best of six titles and three runner-up finishes in 2023, making it India’s most successful season by this measure.
What did Lakshya Sen say after his win?
Reflecting on the win, Lakshya said, “It feels very good to win a title here. Last year, I reached the semifinals, so I am happy that I could better that result. This is my second title back-to-back and I would love to continue this form. Even after losing the first game, I kept my confidence up.
“I was making some easy lifts in the opening game, which allowed him to attack, so in the second and third games I focused on giving a better length and playing more aggressively,” added the Indian shuttler from Almora.
