Lakshya Sen remains an enigma of sorts. Someone who can play the way he did in Australia—especially against Chou Tien Chen in the semi-finals—should have won many more titles on the circuit by now. And yet, Sen lacks the consistency to do so. The Australian Open win should inspire him going into 2026 and surely push him to make a top-10 spot his own.
The final, one has to admit, was relatively easy. Yushi Tanaka was no match, and Sen was always in control. Rather, it was the semi-final that tested him. Sen needed to do something special when he was down three match points at 17–20 in the second game, having lost the first 21–17. In his words, he had to be in “Sen mode”. And he was. After three hard-fought points—including a very special smash down the line—Sen managed to dig deep and take the game to a tiebreak. And even when CTC had another match point thanks to a lucky net cord, Sen did not give up. He equalised at 21–21 and eventually closed the game out at 24–22.
In the third and deciding game, his movement was a sight to behold, and some of his defensive shots were picture-postcard moments that will remain in memory for a long time. It was as if Sen was a man possessed. Each time CTC tried to push, Sen pushed back harder. In fact, at the end of the second game, CTC seemed deflated and somewhat negative. He had given it his all and yet had lost. Sen was just too good.
In the final, Lakshya needed to be cautious—guard against complacency and overconfidence, and make sure that his lack of consistency did not come back to bite him. Maybe the presence of his coaches at the back court calmed him down. In sum, it was a very new Sen who meant business. He was on a mission and did not want to take things to a decider. The best part was that there was little emotion from Sen even when the match ended. The customary fist pump and the wave to the crowd—it was as if Sen knew he would win and lift the title.
Not too long ago, Lakshya was mentally not in a good space and accepted as much in a conversation. “While I had played a few good matches here and there, I had not played a series of good matches consistently,” he had said. “That consistency was lacking and that’s why I hadn’t won a big tournament. I had even taken a break in between to regain my focus, and I remember speaking to you about this.”
This year too has been on and off—some great matches and some really ordinary ones. With the Australian Open win, he can now power on. Someone who could play that miracle match lasting 86 minutes against CTC can do anything! Time and again in the semi-final, CTC played a shot and felt it was a winner. Somehow, Sen managed to retrieve the shuttle. As Indians, we want more of this from Sen in 2026, which is a huge year for every athlete.
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