Lakshya Sen captured the Japan Masters 2026 title on Sunday at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, overcoming a first-game deficit to defeat Japan’s Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a one-hour and four-minute final.
The eighth-seeded Indian secured back-to-back titles following his victory at the Hylo Open in Germany earlier this month. This marks his second Super 500 title of the season and the fifth of his career at that level, placing him joint-second among men’s singles players.
Sen also became the first Indian men’s singles player to secure two World Tour titles in a single season since Kidambi Srikanth claimed four Superseries titles in 2017. The win pushes India’s total haul at Super 300 and higher-level tournaments outside the country to nine titles and four runner-up finishes this year.
That output eclipses the previous benchmark of six titles and three runner-up finishes set in 2023, establishing the current campaign as India’s most successful season by that metric. Women’s singles competitors contributed five of those titles, anchored by two victories from two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu.
After dropping the opening game 13-21, Sen responded quickly in the second by winning the first five points and building a nine-point advantage. Watanabe rallied with seven consecutive points, but the Indian held his ground to close out the game 21-18.
In the deciding third game, Sen reached the interval leading 11-7 before rattling off six consecutive points. A late surge from Watanabe reduced the deficit, but Sen finished the match 21-14 to seal the championship.
“It feels very good to win a title here,” Sen said, according to Mint. “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,” Sen told Mint.
“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,” the shuttler from Almora told Mint.
Sindhu claimed her two titles in July at the Japan Open (Super 750) and in November at the Hylo Open (Super 500), alongside a runner-up finish at the French Open in October 2026.
Sen’s victory makes him the first Indian to win the Japan Masters.
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