Lakshya Sen to face Alwi Farhan in Japan Masters 2026 semi-final

Lakshya Sen will meet Alwi Farhan in the semi-finals of the BWF Japan Masters 2026 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium on November 14 (Saturday). Sen arrives in Kumamoto fresh off his title at the HYLO Open last week.

Sen is ranked World No. 13 and seeded eighth at the Japan Masters. He has not dropped a game in the tournament so far and reached the semi-finals after a straight-games victory over home favourite Yushi Tanaka in the quarter-finals. Sen led from the start in that match and sealed it in 40 minutes without trailing. His best performance at a BWF Super 500 event remains reaching the semi-finals in the 2025 and 2026 seasons; he is yet to win a Super 500 title.

They have met only twice on tour and the Indonesian has won both meetings, both in straight games. The latest meeting came at the Indonesia Open earlier this February. Sen is yet to take a game off the World No. 10 shuttler. Their past meetings suggest this could be a tough match-up for the Indian.

Alwi Farhan is World No. 10 and is eyeing a third title win in the ongoing season. He defeated last year’s finalist Kenta Nishimoto in the last 16 before coming through compatriot Mohd Zaki Ubaidillah in straight games to reach the semi-finals. The Indonesian has made it past the second round at the Japan Masters for the first time.

Both players are aiming for a maiden final appearance at the Japan Masters, with Sen having reached the semi-finals last season. The semi-final is scheduled for November 14 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium with a tentative start time of 7:10 am IST.

The winner of the Sen–Farhan semi-final will advance to the Japan Masters final.