Sportstar·India·Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 05:25 AM UTC

Lakshya Sen enters Japan Masters 2026 quarterfinals, beats China’s Dong Tian Yao

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Against Tian Yao, Lakshya Sen dominated the proceedings from the get-go, earning eight consecutive points and ultimately taking the first game in 13 minutes. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Against Tian Yao, Lakshya Sen dominated the proceedings from the get-go, earning eight consecutive points and ultimately taking the first game in 13 minutes. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Lakshya Sen continued his red-hot form this season, beating China’s Dong Tian Yao 21-8, 21-14, and securing a spot in the quarterfinals of Japan Masters 2026, here on Thursday.

Lakshya, coming into the tournament after winning the Hylo Open in Germany, advanced to the round of 16 at the Japan Masters by beating Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen 21-19, 21-18.

Against Tian Yao, Lakshya dominated the proceedings from the get-go, earning eight consecutive points and ultimately taking the first game in 13 minutes. The second game saw the Chinese shuttler try to find a way back into the game as he trailed 4-6 at one point in time.

But Lakshya, ranked 32 places above his opponent, shifted gears to earn six consecutive points to go to 12-6 and then pulled away to win the contest in straight games.

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

Lakshya will now look to carry his momentum into the Japan Masters quarterfinals, where he could face fourth seed Victor Lai of Canada, provided the latter gets past Japan’s Yushi Tanaka. The Indian will also be looking to improve on his semifinal finish at the Japan Masters last year, when he lost to home favourite Kenta Nishimoto.

Published on Nov 12, 2026

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