Lakshya Sen ends title drought, thrashes Jonatan Christie to win Hylo Open

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen ended his year-long wait for a title by defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in the Hylo Open 2026 final to claim his first trophy of the season. After beating France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-17, 21-13 in Saturday’s semifinal, the Indian continued his impressive run with a convincing 21-17, 21-10 victory over Christie in the final. The 25-year-old entered the contest as the underdog, with Christie leading their head-to-head record 4-3. However, the Indian delivered a consistent performance throughout the 39-minute match and never allowed his higher-ranked opponent to gain control.

Lakshya made a strong start, taking an 8-4 lead before Christie fought back to move ahead 9-8. However, a fortunate net cord helped the Indian regain the lead, after which he began controlling the rallies.

Using a combination of powerful smashes and clever drop shots, Lakshya extended his advantage to 16-10 and then 18-12. A service error from Christie gave him three game points and he needed just one to win the opening game after the Indonesian hit his return into the net.

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The 2022 Commonwealth Games champion carried his momentum into the second game, taking a 6-3 lead and continued to dominate the rallies and entered the interval with a four-point advantage.

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After the break, Lakshya increased the pressure and moved ahead 16-9. A line call against Christie was overturned following a video review, giving the Indian 10 championship points. He made no mistake in closing out the match to secure the title.

Lakshya will next take on China’s Dong Tian Yao in the opening round of the Korea Open next week.