Lakshya Sen ends title drought, beats Yushi Tanaka to win Australian Open

Lakshya Sen ends title drought, beats Yushi Tanaka to win Australian Open for maiden silverware of 2025 season

A fluent Lakshya Sen ended his title drought on international circuit as the Indian clinched his first title of the year with a win over Japan's Yushi Tanaka in the men's single final of the Australian Open on Sunday. After finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics 20254, the 24-year-old won 21-15, 21-11 over 26-year-old Tanaka.

Lakshya, a 2021 World Championships bronze-medallist, had last won a Super 300 title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow in 2024. After the match point following a 38-minute ordeal, the Indian celebrated his USD 475,000 Super 500 event by putting his fingers in his ears.

However, a top-tier crown had eluded him since his triumph at the Canada Open the same year, though he came close at the Hong Kong Super 500 in September when he finished runner-up.

Facing world No. 26 Tanaka, winner of two Super 300 titles this year at the Orleans Masters and the US Open, Lakshya displayed control, sharp placement and clean execution, wrapping up the contest without dropping a game. Lakshya became the second Indian to win a BWF World Tour title in 2025, following Ayush Shetty's Super 300 triumph at the US Open.

Lakshya made a confident start, opening up a 6-3 lead as Tanaka committed a flurry of errors. A 35-shot rally ended with the Japanese shuttler again finding the net, before a lucky net cord finally broke Lakshya's run of points.

Tanaka tried to stay in the hunt but two long errors handed Lakshya five game points. The Indian converted immediately as Tanaka drove another shuttle to the net. The second game turned into a one-sided affair as Lakshya kept up the intensity, continuing to play fast and flat returns.

Hard work pays off for Lakshya Sen

Following the win, Lakshya said his hard work paid off despite several ups and downs in the season. "I have seen a lot of ups and downs this season, with a few injuries at the start of the season. But I kept my hard work going throughout the season and I am very happy to end the season on a good note," said Lakshya.

"I'm very excited, looking forward to the next season now and I am really happy with the way I played today and this week," added the Indian shuttler, who said the focus was on winning each point, rather than getting carried away.

"In the second set I was quite far off in the lead, but I didn't want to get too inside my head so I wouldn't relax too much. In the back of my mind it was there but I was just trying to focus on playing one point at a time," he said.

Source: LiveMint
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