Lakshya Sen beats Alwi Frahan to enter Japan Masters 2026 final

Having won the Hylo Open title earlier this month, Lakshya Sen will look to secure another BWF title, this time in Japan. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Lakshya Sen continued his good form this season, beating Alwi Frahan of Indonesia 21-12, 15-21, 21-11, at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium here on Saturday.

The Indian shuttler took one hour and nine minutes to seal the contest and punch his ticket to the final, where he will face either Koni Watanabe or former World No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

The victory extends a remarkable comeback run for the 25-year-old, who had endured a difficult stretch on the Tour before arriving in Germany.

His triumph at the Hylo Open, where he defeated Indonesia’s defending champion Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 in the final, was his first title of the season and seventh of his career.

At Japan Masters, he opened his campaign with a 21-19, 21-18 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen before dispatching China’s Dong Tian Yao 21-8, 21-14 in just 35 minutes in the second round. He beat Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-16, 21-15 in under 39 minutes to enter the final four and will look to square off the campaign with another title.

Though he withdrew from the Korea Open, his strong showing in Japan strengthens his bid to qualify for the season-ending BWF Tour Finals.