Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen Shine at Japan Masters Badminton

Srikanth Advances to Quarter-Finals

In a thrilling encounter, former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth triumphed over World No. 8 and local favorite Kodai Naraoka, securing his spot in the quarter-finals of the Japan Masters, part of the BWF World Tour Super 500 series, held at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.

Joining him in the last eight is Lakshya Sen, the newly crowned HYLO Open champion, who achieved a convincing victory against his Chinese rival, as reported in a recent press release.

Match Highlights

Despite having a 0-4 record against Naraoka prior to this match, Srikanth displayed remarkable composure, taking the first game 21-15 after rallying from a 12-14 deficit to win seven consecutive points. Naraoka responded fiercely, pushing the match to a deciding game where he initially led. However, Srikanth maintained his composure, leveling the score at 7-7 before ultimately winning the match 21-18 in a 60-minute battle.

Next, Srikanth will face another Japanese player, World No. 15 Koki Watanabe, in the quarter-finals.

Lakshya Sen's Dominance

Lakshya Sen, seeded eighth, continued his impressive performance with a dominant 21-8, 21-14 win over China's Dong Tian Yao, completing the match in just 35 minutes. He is set to compete against Japan's Yushi Tanaka for a chance to reach the semi-finals.

Doubles Campaign Ends for India

Unfortunately, India's journey in the doubles events concluded with both pairs facing defeats. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were eliminated in the women's doubles round of 16, losing 21-14, 21-14 to the third-seeded Japanese duo of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.

In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun also exited the tournament after a 21-14, 21-14 loss to Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in a match lasting 34 minutes.