Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen is targeting a place in the top eight of the BWF World Tour Rankings to secure qualification for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals after winning the men’s singles title at the 2026 Hylo Open Super 500 tournament in Saarbrücken, Germany.
The 25-year-old defeated Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-17, 21-10 in the final on Sunday to claim his first major title since the Australian Open in 2025. The victory also helped Sen climb eight places to enter the top 10 of the BWF World Tour Rankings.
Speaking to the media at a press conference on Tuesday, Sen said he was keen to maintain his winning momentum through the remaining tournaments of the season. He identified the next two events as important to his qualification campaign, with a top-eight finish required to make the World Tour Finals.
Sen targets World Tour Finals qualification
Sen said his immediate focus was to perform well in the next two tournaments before the international calendar becomes relatively lighter. He is scheduled to travel to Japan and Hong Kong after spending a few days at home following his Hylo Open triumph.
The Indian shuttler said winning the tournament had provided a confidence boost after a difficult few months and that he wanted to build on his performance in Germany.
Injury concerns affected Sen’s consistency
The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist acknowledged that recurring fitness issues had affected his performances over the previous three to four months.
After reaching the All England Championships final earlier in the season, Sen experienced several niggles that prevented him from maintaining consistency across tournaments.
He clarified that none of the issues had forced him to miss major competitions, but managing his workload had remained a challenge.
Sen also revealed that he had skipped the French Open after experiencing shoulder pain during the Denmark Open. The break affected his match sharpness at the start of the Hylo Open, although he gradually adjusted to the playing conditions.
More match practice helped Sen regain rhythm
Sen credited regular match practice with helping him regain his competitive rhythm ahead of his title-winning campaign in Germany.
He said his preparations before the Asian Games involved playing as many matches as possible to improve his match fitness. However, he felt that he lacked sufficient match practice at certain tournaments, including the World Championships.
At the Hylo Open, Sen played five matches, with the final three proving particularly demanding. He said the increased time on court helped him become more comfortable with the conditions and improve his touch as the tournament progressed.
Sen completes title-winning double with PV Sindhu
Sen defeated Jonatan Christie in straight games to secure the men’s singles title at the Hylo Open, adding to India’s success at the tournament.
Earlier, PV Sindhu had won the women’s singles title, completing a double for India at the Super 500 event.
The victory was particularly significant for Sen, who had lost three of his previous four meetings against Christie. The Indian controlled the final from the opening game, winning 21-17, 21-10 to claim the title.
Sen had also reached the final of the All England Championships earlier in 2026, while his previous major title came at the Australian Open in 2025.
The Indian shuttler said his priorities for the remainder of the season would be to remain fit, compete regularly and maintain the momentum gained from his latest title.
