Star Indian athlete Lakshya Sen makes history by becoming the first Indian to win Kumamoto Master Japan after beating Koki Watanabe.
Published: November 15, 2026, 2:07 PM IST
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Lakshya Sen creates history with Japan title
Lakshya Sen won the Kumamoto Masters Japan title on Sunday and became the first Indian player to achieve this featHe came back strongly after losing the first game and beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in the finalThe match was played at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium and lasted one hour and four minutes.
The eighth-seeded Indian won his second title in a rowEarlier this month, he had also won the Hylo Open title in GermanyThis was his second Super 500 title this year and fifth in his careerWith this win, Sen moved to joint-second among men’s singles players with the most Super 500 titles.
Sen also became the first Indian men’s singles player to win two World Tour titles in one season since Kidambi Srikanth in 2017Srikanth had won four Superseries titles in that year.
Reflecting on the win, Sen said, “It feels very good to win a title hereLast year, I reached the semifinals, so I am happy that I could better that resultThis is my second title back-to-back and I would love to continue this formEven after losing the first game, I kept my confidence upI 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.”
Sen lost the first game 13-21 but made a strong start in the secondHe won the first five points to take a 5-0 leadHe later increased his lead to nine pointsWatanabe then won seven points in a row and tried to catch upHowever, Sen won the game 21-18.
In the third game, Sen led 11-7 at the breakHe then scored six points in a row to move further aheadWatanabe tried to come back into the match, but Sen kept his lead and won the game 21-14 to seal the title.
After Sen’s win, Badminton Association of India (BAI) General Secretary Sanjay Mishra congratulated him and said, “Lakshya’s victory from a game down to win a final against a home player at the Kumamoto Masters is another proud moment for Indian badminton and a reflection of the consistency with which our players are performing on the international stageThis has been one of the most successful years for Indian badminton on the BWF World Tour, with our players setting new benchmarksThese achievements reflect the growing strength of Indian badminton and the collective efforts of our players, coaches and support teams.”
India have now won nine titles and finished second four times in Super 300 and bigger tournaments outside India in 2026This is the best result for India in a yearBefore this, India’s best year was 2023, when Indian players won six titles and finished second three times.
