By Diptayan Hazra

New Delhi [India], November 23 (ANI): Former India shuttler Parupalli Kashyap lauded Lakshya Sen after the young Indian star clinched the Australia Open men's singles title, defeating Japan's Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-11 in a dominant final. The victory marked Lakshya's first title on the 2025 BWF World Tour.

Reacting to the triumph, Kashyap praised Lakshya's perseverance and growing consistency over the past few months.

'It's an incredible win. It's very good for him to get a win at the end of the season. He's been working very hard for a year, coming out of an injury. For the last 4-5 months, you can see a lot of consistency in his game and I wish him the best and it will motivate him well to prepare for the major events of next year and he's in very good form. I hope he continues,' Kashyap told ANI.

The 2025 season hasn't seen many major highlights for Indian badminton so far, but with the Asian Games approaching and the Olympic cycle building momentum, Kashyap believes Indian badminton is well-positioned for a strong future.

'It's a very bright future. We have a lot of talented players coming up and in mixed doubles, doubles, women's singles, men's singles, and in 2-3 years, you'll see a lot of good players. Future looks very bright for India,' he added.

The Indian shuttler won USD 475,000 after winning the Australian Open Super 500 event in Sydney.

He was at his very best during the final against his counterpart. Sen outplayed the 26-year-old Tanaka in a 38-minute contest.

Facing Tanaka, who is the winner of two Super 300 titles this year at Orleans Masters and the US Open, the Indian shuttler displayed superb control, sharp reflexes, and brilliant placement to wrap up the contest without even dropping a single set.

Lakshya made a confident start in the opening set, taking a 6-3 lead after the World No. 26 Tanaka made a flurry of errors. However, Tanaka closed the gap to 7-9. The Indian star took the momentum back with a three-point cushion into the mid-game interval.

He tightened his grip and dominated during the net exchanges, keeping the shuttle flat. He won the first set easily by 21-15.

The second set saw a complete dominance by Lakshya, where he took a six-point lead at the interval with some superb thunderous smashes. The Indian shuttler was at his best as Tanaka struggled to withstand Lakshya's power. Lakshya sealed the title with a sharp cross-return.

Lakshya, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, had earlier won a Super 300 title at the Syed Modi International in Lucknow in 2024.

After winning the Canada Open in 2024, Sen had a challenging phase this year. The ace shuttler came close to clinching the Hong Kong Super 500 title in September, where he finished runner-up.

After winning the Australian Open 2025 men's singles event, Sen became only the second Indian shuttler to clinch a title in the ongoing BWF World Tour.

Before the reigning Commonwealth Games champion Sen, rising star Ayush Shetty won his maiden Super 300 triumph at the US Open. (ANI)