Indian badminton ace Lakshya Sen scripted history on Sunday, November 15, 2026, becoming the first Indian shuttler to win the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 men’s singles title after staging a gritty comeback to defeat home favourite Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a thrilling three-game final.
Fresh off his Hylo Open Super 500 triumph in Germany earlier this month, the eighth-seeded Indian absorbed an early blitz from Watanabe before seizing tactical control over the next two games in a gripping 1 hour and 4-minute contest.
How the Three-Game Final Unfolded
After dropping both of his earlier meetings against Watanabe in 2026—at the Singapore Open and Japan Open—Sen adjusted his court coverage and pace to turn the tables and extend his overall career head-to-head lead to 5-3:
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- Game 1 (13-21): Backed by a vocal home crowd, World No. 15 Watanabe raced to an early 6-1 lead with ferocious cross-court smashes and quick net play. Although Sen briefly closed the gap to 10-12 after the mid-game interval, unforced errors allowed the Japanese shuttler to close out the opener comfortably.
- Game 2 (21-18): Refocusing during the break, Sen roared out to a 5-0 start and carried an 11-6 advantage into the interval. Despite a late surge from Watanabe that trimmed the deficit to 19-17, the Indian sealed the second game with a decisive smash to force a decider.
- Game 3 (21-14): After a tightly contested opening exchange tied at 5-5—featuring a diving defensive save from Sen and a 425 kph smash from Watanabe—Sen shifted gears, surging from 7-6 to 17-8 with relentless corner-to-corner rallies before wrapping up the championship 21-14.
”Lakshya Sen etched his name into the history books on Sunday, becoming the first Indian to capture the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 men’s singles title after rallying past home favourite Koki Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a thrilling three-game finale.”
— Match Report, Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 Final
Major Boost in Race to BWF World Tour Finals
Beyond clinching his second consecutive BWF World Tour title in as many weeks, the victory earns Sen 9,200 crucial ranking points, propelling his surge from 12th toward the top eight in the Race to the BWF World Tour Finals standings. Earlier on championship Sunday in Kumamoto, Chinese top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin captured the mixed doubles crown with a 15-21, 21-15, 21-14 win over compatriots Gao Jia Xuan and Wu Meng Ying.
