No unforced errors, greater composure: How Lakshya Sen is back among the best

Resumen detallado

Lakshya Sen's back-to-back titles have signalled a return to form, with mentor Vimal Kumar crediting fewer unforced errors for his resurgence. The Indian shuttler has also moved closer to qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals.

A sharp reduction in unforced errors and greater composure under pressure has been the trump cards for Lakshya Sen recently as he is showing signs of being back to his very best. His win in the Japan Masters was a testament to this.

The World No. 13 recovered from a game down to seal the match 13-21, 21-18, 21-14 in 64 minutes, turning the contest around with a strong response in the second and third games.

The Indian took control in the decider after moving ahead 11-7 at the interval. He continued to widen the gap, eventually building a nine-point advantage and shutting the door on any hopes of a fightback from his opponent.

The win follows the Hylo Open triumph in Germany and his mentor Vimal Kumar feels that Lakshya is now back amongst the best in the business, mainly down to the traits that he has shown this year.

"If you ask me, the main thing is, cutting down on unforced errors and that has really helped him, I feel he's back amongst the best now. It is two back-to-back titles. It reminds me of the 2021-22 phase, when he was winning tournaments and putting up consistent performances. Hopefully, this trend can continue," Vimal told PTI.

"It is tough because they are all of a similar level, and whoever plays well at the crucial stages, makes the minimum number of unforced errors and keeps mistakes down, succeeds. If you look at it, everybody has speed and punch. So, it is about the errors. Cutting down on those will make all the difference."

2026 wasn't the best for Lakshya as he had a poor campaign at home during the BWF World Championships and then a disappointing outing in Nagoya during the Asian Games.

But now he has a chance to atone for all this and secure a spot in the BWF World Tour finals.

Lakshya entered the Japan tournament sitting 12th in the Race to Finals rankings with 64,980 points. He needed to break into the top eight to secure a place at the season-ending tournament.

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