A resilient Lakshya Sen overcame a deficit to become the first Indian badminton player to win the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 title. The world No.12 rallied to beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a match that lasted 64 minutes.
With the win, Sen has now picked up back-to-back BWF Tour titles, having clinched the HYLO Open Super 500 crown in Saarbrucken, Germany earlier this month.
Sen entered the final on the back of another three-game win (21-12, 15-21, 21-11) in the semi-final over Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. Meanwhile, Watanabe booked his place in the title clash with a 14-21, 21-11, 23-21 win over 2023 World Championship gold medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
In Sunday’s men’s singles final though, it was the Japanese player who came out of the blocks quicker, racing to a 5-1 lead. The lead extended to six points, as the home favourite led 12-6.
Sen, however, won the next five points on the trot to narrow the deficit to 12-11. The world No.8 from Japan did not relinquish the lead, as he won nine of the next 11 points to take the opening game.
After the change of ends, the Indian started to fight back strongly, taking a 5-0 lead that he later extended to 9-2.
As the game progressed, Sen continued to dominate, reaching 19-10. But at that point, the Indian’s rhythm shifted, and his accuracy dwindled as his shots started to fall outside the lines.
It allowed Watanabe to claw his way back into the game, as he won the next seven consecutive points. Sen then managed to regroup just in time as he managed to get over the line to take the match into the deciding game.
Sen and Watanabe stayed within touching distance of each other in the opening exchanges. But it was the Indian who, playing aggressively and smashing heavily, went from 4-4 to 10-6.
From 10-7, he won the next seven points to open up a solid 17-7 gap in the final. Thereon, it was just a matter of staying patient and keeping his focus, as he secured the title with a powerful smash and a roar to match.