Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty Eye BWF World Tour Finals Spot At Kumamoto Masters

Indian stars Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will look to strengthen their chances of qualifying for this year's BWF World Tour Finals when they compete at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 badminton tournament, which begins on Tuesday. The BWF Super 500 event will be held at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium from November 10 to 15. Lakshya climbed eight places to 10th in the Race to the Finals rankings after winning the Hylo Open earlier this month. The Commonwealth Games champion will aim to break into the top eight and move into the qualification zone for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, which will be held in China from December 9 to 13.

Last year, Lakshya reached the semifinals of the Kumamoto Masters before losing to Japan's Kenta Nishimoto in three games. He also finished runner-up at the All England Open earlier this year.

World No. 6 men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will spearhead India's challenge in the doubles events. The duo have enjoyed a strong season, winning two BWF Super 750 titles, the Singapore Open in May and the China Masters in September. They also finished runners-up at the Thailand Open.

Currently ranked 12th in the Race to the Finals standings, Satwik and Chirag could significantly boost their qualification hopes with a strong run in Japan.

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has already secured qualification for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals after a series of impressive performances on the BWF World Tour circuit.

Sindhu climbed to World No. 6 in the women's singles rankings, her highest position since December 2022, following her title-winning run at the Hylo Open.

The Indian star clinched her second title of the season after defeating Denmark's Line Kjaersfeldt 21-12, 21-14 in the women's singles final of the Hylo Open on Sunday.

Sindhu capped a dominant campaign in Germany with a straight-games victory, returning to the winner's circle just a week after finishing runner-up at the French Open, where she lost to World No. 1 An Se-young.

The former world champion had earlier won the Japan Open in July, making the Hylo Open her second BWF World Tour title of the season.

She also reached the final of the French Open and the semifinals of the Malaysia Open and the Australian Open.

Sindhu remains India's only player to have won the BWF World Tour Finals, having lifted the title in 2018.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day

Spain's Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace