Lakshya Sen wins Hylo Open 2026 in Saarbrücken; collects US$37,500

Lakshya Sen defeated Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 to claim the men’s singles title at the Hylo Open 2026 at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken, Germany on Sunday. The victory secured the BWF Super 500 crown for the Indian shuttler.

Sen entered the tournament as the seventh seed and beat the fourth-seeded defending champion to lift the trophy. The win was Sen’s first title of the 2026 season and the seventh of his career, his first since the Australian Open in 2025. It was also his second triumph at the Saarbrücken event, having previously won the 2019 edition when it was staged as the SaarLorLux Open.

The Hylo Open carried a total prize purse of US$500,000, with the men’s and women’s singles champions each receiving US$37,500 (approximately ₹35.7 lakh). Runners-up in both singles draws took home US$19,000 (approximately ₹18.1 lakh). Prize-money distribution for the singles events awarded US$7,250 to semi-finalists, US$3,000 to quarter-finalists and US$1,750 to players eliminated in the round of 16. Winning pairs in the three doubles categories received US$39,500 per pair, to be shared between the two players.

Sen earned 9,200 BWF ranking points for the Super 500 victory. The final lasted 39 minutes against Jonatan Christie, who entered as the defending champion and was the event’s fourth seed and listed as World No. 6.

Sen’s route to the title involved several testing matches: he opened with a three-game win over Finland’s Joakim Oldorff and then beat compatriot Kiran George in the second round. In the quarter-finals he recovered from a first-game loss to Finland’s Kalle Koljonen to prevail 14-21, 21-17, 21-13. Sen followed that with a 21-17, 21-13 semi-final victory over France’s Toma Junior Popov to reach the final.

Earlier in the season Sen reached the All England Open final in March, where he finished runner-up to Lin Chun-yi. The campaign also included a run of several first-round exits on the international circuit that the report said had affected his form. The Hylo Open triumph, the report added, therefore comes as an important confidence boost for the Indian, who will look to carry this momentum into the remaining tournaments of the 2026 season.

Sen will be in action in the Korea Open, starting November 3 in Yeosu City. For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.