New Delhi: Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen capped a brilliant week in Sydney by winning the Australian Open 2025 men’s singles title, defeating Japan’s Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-11 in a convincing back-to-back victory. The victory ended his drought this season and marked his first trophy of the year.
Lakshya reached the final after a hard-fought semi-final battle against world number 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei. This game lasted 86 minutes with Lakshya saving three match points before the score was 17-21, 24-22, 21-16.
Compared to that grueling encounter, Sunday’s finale felt like a smooth ride. He completed it in just 38 minutes, giving Tanaka – world No. 26 and already a two-time Super 300 winner this year – little room to play his natural game.
Even in the first rallies, Lakshya made a sharp and controlled impression. He initially dominated the net and took an early 6-3 lead. Even when Tanaka tried to push him back with deeper returns, Lakshya quickly adapted and switched to powerful shots, taking an 11-9 lead into the halftime break. From then on he dictated almost every point.
The second game was even more one-sided. Lakshya took an 11-5 lead and never let up the pressure. Tanaka managed to save a match point, but the gap was too big to close. Lakshya sealed the win with a strong cross-court finish.
This victory is particularly meaningful for Lakshya after a difficult period following his fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics. His last title came at the Syed Modi International in 2024, and although he reached the Hong Kong Super 500 final earlier this year, he had failed to turn it into a title.
Lakshya is now only the second Indian to win the Australian Open, after Kidambi Srikanth in 2017. His performance this week sends a clear message: he is back on form and ready to aim for bigger wins in the coming months.
