Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth Shine at Kumamoto Masters 2026

Indian Shuttlers Progress in Kumamoto Masters

Kumamoto, Japan - November 12: Indian badminton players Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth have successfully moved into the pre-quarterfinals of the Kumamoto Masters 2026 tournament.

On Wednesday, Lakshya demonstrated his skill by defeating Chi Yu Jen from Chinese Taipei with scores of 21-19, 21-18 in a match that lasted 49 minutes at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. Meanwhile, Kidambi, a former world champion, staged a remarkable comeback against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke, winning 18-21, 21-16, 24-22 after one hour and eight minutes of intense play.

Following his recent victory at the Hylo Open, Lakshya has risen eight positions to secure the 10th place in the race for the finals. The Commonwealth Games champion aims to break into the top eight, which is crucial for qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals. This prestigious event, featuring the top eight players and pairs from various disciplines, is scheduled to take place from December 9 to 13 in China. Last year, Lakshya reached the semifinals but was defeated by local favorite Kenta Nishimoto in a three-game match. He also finished as the runner-up in the All England Open earlier this year.

In the mixed doubles category, the duo of Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K faced elimination at the hands of fourth seeds Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan from Chinese Taipei, losing 16-21, 21-14, 21-14 in 48 minutes.

Another pair, Olympians Tanisha Crasto and Hariharan Amsakarunan, were defeated by China's top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, with a score of 21-7, 21-9.

Looking ahead, World Championships bronze medalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are set to compete against Japan's third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the women's doubles round of 16 on Thursday.

In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will face Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi for a chance to advance to the quarter-finals.