CHENNAI: Things are finally coming along well for Lakshya Sen. The resurgent shuttler kept up his winning touch to capture his second consecutive crown on BWF World Tour on Sunday.
Koki Watanabe was his latest scalp — his 10th straight win in the span of a few weeks — as he walked away with the Kumamoto Masters Japan crown in Kumamoto. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had regained his form by winning the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken in Germany.
Lakshya is no stranger to big wins but his latest run is significant given that he was grappling to stay relevant not so long ago.
He was made to work for this win. The Indian made a slow start and fell behind but he recalibrated, employing his attacking strokes to go level before going on to apply the finishing touch. His smashes were pinpoint and he was also equally proficient in his net play and defense. Lakshya was clearly the dominant force in the decider and eventually closed out the match in just over an hour. He won 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 and it's no surprise that he was pleased as punch.
"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," Lakshya said.
Even after conceding the opening game, Lakshya looked composed and never lost sight of his target. That focus helped him stay in the game and eventually get over the line. "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 focussed on giving a better length and playing more aggressively."
His best streak before this had come way back in 2023 when he captured the Canada Open Super 500 Open before going on to reach the quarterfinal stage of the US Open 300 meet. He had eight back-to-back wins then.
The title at the Super 500 event also bolstered Lakshya's participation chances in the BWF World Tour. The Indian earned 9,200 points, which will lift him to sixth place in the world tour rankings with 74,180 points. The top-eight shuttlers will be part of the aforementioned season-ending event. The Hong Kong Open (November 17-22) is the last qualifying event for the said event.
Lakshya's mentor and former national team coach U Vimal Kumar was particularly impressed with Lakshya's attacking display. "It's very, very creditable. What I have noticed is he has completely cut down on errors and he has been playing consistently, varying the pace. Today (Sunday), his attack was even better, he defended well and then converted later in the third game after tiring his opponent out to attack. Such things were extremely good. So I think it is his consistency," he told this daily.
