Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen ended his title drought by stunning Indonesia Open runner-up Jonatan Christie in the Hylo Open final to clinch his first title of the year.
Sen’s previous win had come at the Australian Open in November 2025.
After defeating France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-17, 21-13 in the semifinal on Saturday, October 31, Lakshya once again produced a commanding performance, brushing aside Christie 21-17, 21-10 in the title clash.
Lakshya entered the final as the underdog, with Christie holding a slender 4-3 advantage in their head-to-head record. But the Indian had also defeated the Indonesian in straight games in their previous meeting at the All England Open in 2025.
Lakshya showed no signs of inconsistency during the match, as
he didn’t let his higher-ranked opponent find any breakthrough during the 39 minutes of play.
Lakshya will face China’s Dong Tian Yao in his Korea Open first-round match next week.
Earlier on Sunday, double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also won the title in Saarbrücken.
Lakshya got off to a flying start, racing to an 8-4 lead before Christie fought back to move ahead 9-8. The Indian regained the advantage with the help of a fortunate net cord and soon took control of the rallies.
Mixing powerful smashes with deceptive strokes, Lakshya opened up a 16-10 lead and stretched it further to 18-12.
A service error from Christie gifted Lakshya three game points and the Indian needed just one opportunity to seal the opener after his opponent sent a shot into the net.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion carried his momentum into the second game, racing to a 6-3 lead. Lakshya continued to dictate the exchanges, maintaining his advantage to go into the interval with a four-point cushion.
Lakshya stepped up the pace after the change of ends, racing to a commanding 16-9 lead. A misjudgment from Christie, overturned after a video review, gifted the Indian 10 championship points.
