"Very happy to end season on good note": Lakshya Sen on clinching Australian Open 2025 title

Sydney [Australia], November 23 (ANI): Indian star shuttler Lakshya Sen opened up after winning the Australian Open 2025 badminton event in Sydney on Sunday. Sen added that he is very happy to end the ongoing season on a good note after having a challenging year.
The Indian shuttler was crowned the champion of the men's singles event of the Australian Open Super 500 event after Sen defeated Japan's Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-11 in a one-sided final that lasted just 38 minutes. Lakshya won USD 475,000 after clinching the title.
Speaking during a press conference, as quoted by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), Sen opened up about his ups and downs during the 2025 BWF World Tour. The Indian shuttler added that he is looking forward to the next season after finishing his campaign on a high note.
"I have seen a lot of ups and downs this season, with a few injuries at the start of the season, but I kept my hard work going throughout the season, and I am very happy to end the season on a good note. I'm very excited, looking forward to the next season now, and I am really happy with the way I played today and this week," Lakshya Sen said.
Sen added that during the second set, he realised he could win the title, but he didn't want to relax and tried focusing on the match.
"In the second set, I was quite far off in the lead, but I didn't want to get too inside my head, so I wouldn't relax too much. In the back of my mind, it was there, but I was just trying to focus on playing one point at a time," Sen added.
"It was important to have a good start and keep the momentum in the last set because it was quite even in the first one. I got a good lead, and I could finish it off. The second set started on a good note, and then I just kept the lead to finish the match," Australian Opener 2025 winner concluded.
Facing Tanaka, who won two Super 300 titles this year at the Orleans Masters and the US Open, Lakshya displayed sharp reflexes, brilliant control, and placement throughout the match.
The Indian shuttler didn't break a sweat as he outplayed the 26-year-old Tanaka to clinch his Australian Open 2025 title. Sen became only the second Indian shuttler to win a title in the ongoing BWF World Tour. Before Lakshya, Ayush Shetty won his maiden Super 300 triumph at the US Open. (ANI)