Lakshya Sen clinched his first title at the Australian Open Super 500. (Image: Badminton Photo/X) Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched his first title of the 2025 season by defeating Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in straight games 21-15, 21-11 at the Australian Open Super 500 on Sunday. The 24-year-old Commonwealth Games champion took just 38 minutes to secure the US$475,000 tournament, marking his comeback from a difficult period after finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics.Sen dominated the final against world number 26 Tanaka, displaying excellent control and sharp positioning throughout the match. He celebrated his victory by sticking his fingers in his ears after winning.“I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs this season, with a few injuries at the start of the season. But I’ve continued to work hard throughout the season and I’m very happy to end the season well,” Sen said.The 2021 World Championship bronze medalist last won a Super 300 title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow in 2024. His previous major victory came at the Canada Open in the same year.Sen became the second Indian to win a BWF World Tour title this season after Ayush Shetty’s maiden Super 300 triumph at the US Open.In the first game, Sen took a 6-3 lead when Tanaka made several errors. The Japanese shuttler managed to close the gap to 7-9, but Sen maintained control and took a three-point lead into the mid-match break.“It was important to get off to a good start and keep the momentum going in the last set because it was pretty close in the first. I got a good lead and was able to finish it off. The second set started well and then I just held the lead to finish the match,” explained Sen.The support of the Indian crowd was evident with chants of ‘Lakshya! Lakshya’ echoed through the arena during breaks.Sen extended his lead to 17-13 with powerful smashes and cross-court winners. Despite Tanaka’s efforts to remain competitive, two long faults gave Sen five game points, which he promptly converted.The second game proved more one-sided as Sen kept up the intensity with quick, flat returns. Struggling to match Sen’s power and consistency, Tanaka trailed 8-4.Sen’s excellent judgment and play at the net helped him extend his lead to 13-6. Tanaka continued to make mistakes, allowing Sen to build a commanding 17-8 advantage.“The moment he knew he could win: I was leading pretty far in the second set, but I didn’t want to get in my head too much, not to relax too much. In the back of my mind, it was there, but I just tried to focus on taking one point at a time,” shared Sen.“I’m very excited, I’m looking forward to the next season and I’m really happy with how I played today and this week,” he added.The win marks a significant achievement for Indian badminton, after other remarkable performances this season. Satwiksiraj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the finals at the Hong Kong and China Masters, respectively, while Kidambi Srikanth finished runner-up at the Malaysia Masters.Tanaka, who has won two Super 300 titles at the Orléans Masters and the 2024 US Open, was impressed by Sen’s excellent play throughout the match.In the last moments, Sen secured 10 match points with precise play at the net. Despite losing one point to a net error, he sealed the title with a sharp back-and-forth return to complete his impressive tournament run.
