Lakshya Sen Wins BWF World Championships to Become World Number O...

Lakshya Sen won the BWF World Badminton Championships in Paris, defeating defending champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 in a final that demonstrated the Indian has now surpassed the Dane in every technical aspect of the modern game. The victory propelled Sen to the world number one ranking for the first time in his career, making him the first Indian men singles player to hold the top spot since Prakash Padukone in the early 1980s. Sen, 24, has won five BWF Super 1000 events this season and went undefeated in 18 consecutive matches heading into the final. Prime Minister Modi hosted the squad at his residence the following afternoon in a reception attended by Indian sports icons including Abhinav Bindra, P.T. Usha, and Viswanathan Anand.