India’s Lakshya Sen lifted his first championship of the season after a commanding win over Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in the men’s singles final of the USD 475,000 Australian Open Super 500 in Sydney on Sunday.

The 24-year-old from Almora delivered a sharp and aggressive performance to dominate the contest, wrapping up the match 21-15, 21-11 in just 38 minutes. The victory marks a strong comeback for Sen, who had been navigating a challenging phase following his fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.

A bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships, Sen last captured a title at the Syed Modi International Super 300 in Lucknow in 2024. His latest win ends a wait for a higher-tier championship since the Canada Open triumph the same year. Earlier this season, he narrowly missed out on a title at the Hong Kong Super 500, where he finished runner-up.

The Indian shuttler saved three match points to beat world No. 6 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 in a thrilling 86-minute semi-final clash at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre.

Overall, this was Lakshya's fourth men's singles victory over Chou Tien Chen in eight meetings.

Interestingly, the star Indian shuttler defeated his counterpart earlier this year at the Hong Kong Open. Sen edged 23-21, 22-20 in a tight semi-final.