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Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen is crowned the champion of the men's singles event in the Australian Open 2025 on Sunday. Sen defeated Japan's Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-11 in a one-sided final to clinch his first title of the ongoing 2025 BWF World Tour.
The Indian shuttler won USD 475,000 after winning the Australian Open Super 500 event in Sydney. The Indian star was at his very best during the final against his counterpart. Sen outplayed the 26-year-old Tanaka in a 38-minute contest. Facing Tanaka, who is the winner of two Super 300 titles this year at Orleans Masters and the US Open, the Indian shuttler displayed superb control, sharp reflexes, and brilliant placement to wrap up the contest without even dropping a single set. Lakshya made a confident start in the opening set, taking a 6-3 lead after the World No. 26 Tanaka made a flurry of errors. However, Tanaka closed the gap to 7-9. The Indian star took the momentum back with a three-point cushion into the mid-game interval. Lakshya tightened his grip and dominated during the net exchanges, keeping the shuttle flat. He won the first set easily by 21-15. The second set saw a complete dominance by Lakshya, where he took a six-point lead at the interval with some superb thunderous smashes. The Indian shuttler was at his best as Tanaka struggled to withstand Lakshya's power. Lakshya sealed the title with a sharp cross-return. Lakshya, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, had earlier won a Super 300 title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow in 2024. After winning the Canada Open in 2024, Sen had a challenging phase this year. The ace shuttler came close to clinching the Hong Kong Super 500 title in September, where he finished runner-up. After winning the Australian Open 2025 men's singles event, Sen became only the second Indian shuttler to clinch a title in the ongoing BWF World Tour. Before the reigning Commonwealth Games champion Sen, rising star Ayush Shetty won his maiden Super 300 triumph at the US Open. (ANI)
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