India's Lakshya Sen makes history with maiden Kumamoto Masters title

India's Lakshya Sen secured a historic victory by clinching his maiden Kumamoto Masters title on Sunday at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. The men's singles final saw the young Indian shuttler fight back from a game down to defeat local favorite Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a thrilling one-hour and four-minute match.

This triumph marks the first-ever Indian win in the Kumamoto Masters, a tournament that has been held annually since 2023. Sen had previously become the first Indian to reach the final of the Kumamoto Masters, and this win marks his second successive BWF Super 500 crown, following his victory at the Hylo Open in Germany earlier this month.

By winning two BWF World Tour titles in a single season, Sen has become the first ever Indian to achieve this feat. This victory adds to Sen's impressive record, as it brings his total number of BWF World Tour titles to six. Prior to this win, Sen had completed three straight victories in the first three rounds, before needing three games to defeat 6th seed Alwi Farhan in the semifinals.

This is the third BWF Tour final of the year for Sen, who had previously finished as runner-up at the All England Open in March. With this title win, Sen has earned a significant 9,200 ranking points, providing a major boost for his season-ending campaign.