Lakshya Sen beats Alwi Farhan to reach Kumamoto Masters final

Lakshya Sen beat Indonesia's World No. 10 Alwi Farhan in the men's singles semifinal at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 on Saturday, winning 21-12, 15-21, 21-11 in 70 minutes to reach the final. The eighth seed's victory over the sixth seed was his first over Farhan and moved him into a second straight BWF Tour final.

Sen came into Kumamoto shortly after winning the Hylo Open in Germany, where he beat Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 in the final on November 1. That Hylo triumph ended his wait for a BWF Tour title since the Australian Open in November 2025. He reached the All England Open final in March before a sequence of early exits and fitness concerns, and he found his rhythm again towards the end of the year.

Sen dominated the opening game by taking the initiative in rallies and keeping Farhan on the back foot, closing it 21-12. He was notably more effective at the net than in their previous meetings, an improvement that allowed him to control several exchanges. Sharper frontcourt work helped him dictate the pace in the first game.

Farhan responded in the second game by using his speed and court coverage to stretch Sen and force a decider. Sen adjusted after losing the second, avoided hurried exchanges, chose his moments to attack and repeatedly targeted Farhan's backhand. He timed his smashes well to secure the final game 21-11 and finish the match composedly.

Before the semifinal Sen had recorded straight-game wins over Chi Yu Jen, Dong Tian Yao and home favourite Yushi Tanaka in Kumamoto. He stood 12th in the BWF World Tour Finals Race ahead of the semifinal, with a place in the top eight needed to qualify for the season-ending tournament in China.

Sen will face either second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand or Japan's Koki Watanabe in Sunday's final, and a title in Kumamoto would give his bid for the World Tour Finals a significant boost. A second title in as many weeks would provide a fitting reward for his late-season revival.