Kumamoto Masters: Lakshya beats crowd favorite to reach semi-finals, Srikanth eliminated

Lakshya Sen continued his impressive run at the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500, producing a composed performance to beat home favorite Yushi Tanaka in straight games to reach the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday.

The eighth-seeded Indian needed just 40 minutes to cruise to a world number 31 victory 21-16, 21-15 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. Despite a raucous home support behind Tanaka, Lakshya rarely looked troubled as he used his attacking play and quick follow-up shots to keep his opponent under pressure.

The win is significant for Lakshya as she bids to advance to the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals in China. The Indian is currently 12th in the World Tour rankings with 64,980 points and needs to break into the top eight to qualify. A title in Kumamoto would greatly increase his chances.

Lakshya will face sixth seed Alwi Farhan of Indonesia in the semi-finals. The Indian has lost both of his previous matches against the world number 10, so Saturday’s contest is another important test.

Lakshya is gunning for his second consecutive BWF Tour title after winning the Hylo Open in Germany last month. After missing the Korea Masters, he made an encouraging return to competition in Japan, going undefeated in his last two matches.

Lakshya gradually took control of the opener after a tight start, with Tanaka briefly threatening a comeback before the Indian pulled away to take the lead.

The second game played out in a similar vein, with the pair locked in a tight contest until Lakshya’s attacking play helped him open up a decisive four-point cushion. Tanaka struggled to keep pace as the Indian kept up the pressure, eventually closing out the bout without much fanfare.

SRIKANTH BENDS OUT

Meanwhile, former world number one Kidambi Srikanth’s campaign ended after a 22-24, 15-21 defeat to Japan’s Koki Watanabe in 41 minutes.

The unseeded Indian enjoyed an encouraging run in Kumamoto, beating Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the opening round before pulling off one of the tournament’s upsets. defeated fifth seed and world number eight Kodai Naraoka on Thursday in a three-game battle.

Srikanth had another opportunity to extend his attack against Watanabe, but failed to convert his chances in a tight opener. He appeared to be in control in the second as well, building a 12-5 lead after switching sides.

However, the Japanese shuttler made a strong comeback, upping the tempo and forcing Srikanth into a series of errors. Watanabe scored 16 of the final 19 points to overcome the deficit and secure a place in the semifinals.

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