Lakshya Sen beats Koki Watanabe to win Kumamoto Masters Japan Open

Kumamoto (Japan) A tenacious Lakshya Sen capped another impressive week on the BWF Tour with a second consecutive title, clinching the Kumamoto Masters Japan crown with a thrilling win in the final over home favourite Koki Watanabe in Kumamoto on Sunday (November 15, 2026). World No.

13 Lakshya, who won the Hylo Open title, displayed his mental grit as he outsmarted Watanabe 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in a pulsating summit clash that lasted an hour and four minutes, moving into a qualifying position for the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou. Eighth seed Lakshya was 12th in the Race to Finals standings with 64,980 points before this event, and needed to break into the top eight to qualify for the season-ending event.

The title at the Super 500 event earned Lakshya 9,200 points, which will lift him to sixth place in the standings with 74,180 points when they are updated on Tuesday. However, the race to Hangzhou is not over yet, as the Hong Kong Open (November 17-22) is the last qualifying event.