Lakshya Sen aims for Hong Kong Open success after winning Japan Masters

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Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen has credited his self-belief and resilience for his consecutive tournament victories, capturing the Japan Masters crown on Sunday and setting his sights on the upcoming Hong Kong Open to cement his place in the BWF World Tour Finals.

The Paris 2024 Olympic semifinalist overcame a slow start to defeat Japan’s Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a hard-fought 64-minute final in Kumamoto.

Reflecting after his triumph, Lakshya said, “It feels really good to have won a title here, and last year I made it to the semifinals here. I am happy I could produce better results than last time. It is my second title (after Hylo Open), back-to-back, so I would love to continue this form ahead.”

“In the first rallies, I made some easy lifts, so he could smash the shuttle through me. In the second set and third set, I was trying to give a good length and also play a bit more attacking,” he added.

Focus shifts to Hong Kong Open and World Tour Finals qualification

The victory comes on the heels of his Hylo Open triumph, where he dispatched Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in straight games (21-17, 21-10) for his second crown at the tournament and seventh BWF World Tour title overall. Earlier in Kumamoto, the world No. 13 also fought past Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan 21-12, 15-21, 21-11 in a gruelling semifinal.

These stellar performances have lifted him in the rankings, putting him firmly in contention for a top-eight spot to qualify for the prestigious BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from December 9–13.

“Definitely, that is one thing which we will be fighting for. And yes, this tournament will definitely help me to get good points for that as well. I have one more tournament, the Hong Kong Open (from November 17), now focused on that,” he noted.

Emphasising the mental fortitude required during his gruelling campaign, Lakshya concluded, “I would say just keeping my confidence up even though, there have been some tough matches. I started with a game down in many matches, but yeah, it was really good of me that I still kept believing in myself and just kept on playing and fighting,” he concluded.

(With inputs from ANI)

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