Lakshya Sen was battling fatigue, swirling stadium drift and a fiercely partisan home crowd at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. So, the victory was sweeter as the ace Indian shuttler sealed a hard-fought 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 win in the final against Japan’s Koki Watanabe to become the first Indian to lift the $500,000 Japan Masters title on Sunday.
The triumph in Kumamoto was the continuation of a sensational November resurgence for the Almora-born Lakshya.
Coming on the back of his triumphant campaign at the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken, Germany, earlier this month, the world No.13 has now clinched back-to-back BWF World Tour Super 500 titles. It marked his second title of the season from three finals, breaking a four-year drought of multi-title seasons.
Not since 2022 — when he claimed the India Open and the Commonwealth Games gold alongside runner-up finishes at the German Open and the All England Open — had Lakshya hoisted two trophies in a single calendar year.
The path to the men’s singles summit showdown was fraught with gruelling battles. Entering the final, Lakshya had already been tested to his limits, having navigated a three-game semi-final against rising Indonesian shuttler Alwi Farhan, winning 21-12, 15-21, 21-11 — his first victory in three meetings against the world No.10.
Watanabe, meanwhile, had booked his ticket to the title clash via an exhausting 14-21, 21-11, 23-21 thriller against former world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.
When the final commenced, it was the home favourite who seized the early initiative racing to a 7-1 lead before extending it to 12-6. Lakshya briefly sparked hope by winning five consecutive points to narrow the gap to 12-11. However, the world No.15 from Japan tightened his grip on the rallies, snapping up nine of the next 11 points to comfortably pocket the opening game.
“The sides were a little bit difficult to play. There was some wind in the stadium. In the first game, I made some easy lifts, which allowed him to smash through me,” said Lakshya.
Needing a swift tactical pivot in the second, the eighth-seeded Indian raced to a 5-0 lead, stretching his cushion to 9-2. Playing with sharper length, commanding control, and aggressive intent, Lakshya dominated the mid-game exchanges, marching comfortably to a 19-10 lead.
Just as victory in the second game seemed a formality, Lakshya’s rhythm wavered, his accuracy dipped, and a flurry of errant shots drifted wide of the lines.
Seizing the opening, Watanabe strung together seven consecutive points to 17-19. But Lakshya regrouped just in time and took the game 21-18 to force the decider.
Not rattled even after the first-game loss
“Even after losing the first game, I kept my confidence up,” Lakshya said. “In the second and third games, I focused on giving a better length and playing more aggressively.”
The deciding game tested both players’ physical reserves and mental resilience. The opening exchanges were fiercely contested, with the two shuttlers staying within touching distance at 4-4. But once Lakshya found his groove, his play became electric. Displaying trademark court coverage and heavy, punishing smashes, he opened up a 10-6 lead.
From 10-7, the Indian unleashed an unstoppable wave of aggression, winning seven points on the trot to make it 17-7. Though Watanabe made a late, desperate push to narrow the margin, Lakshya maintained his composure and ultimately secured the title with a cross-court smash and a jubilant roar. The match lasted 64 minutes.
This memorable victory marked Lakshya’s fifth win over Watanabe in eight career head-to-head encounters.
“Yes, definitely that is one thing which we will be fighting for,” Lakshya said when asked about qualifying for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals. “This tournament will definitely help me to get good points for that as well. Now I have one more tournament, the Hong Kong Open, so my focus is squarely on that.”
The Hong Kong Open starts on Tuesday where Lakshya will open against local favourite Lee Cheuk Yiu, who has a 4-2 record against the Indian, having also won the previous three meetings.