India’s Lakshya Sen, ranked world No. 14, has reached yet another Super 500 final – his fourth so far – after turning around a tough semifinal with a brilliant comeback. He now faces Japan’s Yushi Tanaka, world No. 26, who is playing in his first-ever Super 500 final. Tanaka’s run also keeps Japan’s impressive streak alive, with their players reaching the men’s singles final in three straight Super 500 tournaments.
With both players chasing a big career moment, today’s final is shaping up to be a high-energy battle between two very different styles.
Who is Yushi Tanaka?
Yushi Tanaka – or Yuji, as it is pronounced in Japanese – reached the Australian Open Super 500 final after beating Lin Chun-Yi 21-18, 21-15, on Saturday.
Earlier this year at the Paris World Championships, the 25-year-old late bloomer surprised everyone by defeating China’s World No. 4 Li Shifeng on Day 1. He is coached by former World Champion Kento Momota, a hugely popular figure, from whom he has learnt strong defensive discipline.
Lakshya Sen vs Yushi Tanaka: How to watch
There is no TV broadcast of the 2025 Australian Open in India, but fans can watch all matches live, including the ongoing final, on the BWF’s official YouTube channel and Jio Hotstar.
Tanaka’s big break: His first super 500 final
For 25-year-old Tanaka, this is the biggest match of his career. He has always shown flashes of talent, but in the last two months, he has transformed into a much more consistent and dangerous player. His form in Sydney has been outstanding – fast, aggressive and extremely sharp.
What makes him even more threatening is that he hasn’t lost a single game all week.
Tanaka’s road to the final
-R32: beat Jonatan Christie (top seed) 21-17, 21-7
-R16: beat Sholeh Aidil 21-15, 21-12
-QF: beat Rasmus Gemke 22-20, 21-13
-SF: beat Lin Chun-Yi 21-18, 21-15
Every match was won in straight games and each one showed his confidence growing. His dominant 21–7 finish against Christie especially signaled the kind of high-speed, high-risk badminton that makes him so dangerous.
Tanaka’s run also continues Japan’s strong presence in Super 500 men’s singles finals, a streak that started at the Korea Masters 2025. He now stands as part of Japan’s next big group of players ready to challenge the top nations.
For Lakshya Sen, playing a big final is nothing new. This is his fourth time reaching a Super 500 title match, and he has already won two of them. But this week carries special meaning. After dealing with a difficult first half of the year, Sen has looked much more confident since the World Championships – steady, focused and calm under pressure.
His semifinal win against world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen was one of the toughest battles of his career. He lost the first game, faced match points in the second, but fought back to win it 24–22 before taking the third game with momentum on his side.