Kumamoto [Japan], November 11 (ANI): India's Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth registered hard-fought victories in their opening-round matches to advance to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals at the Keumamoto Mastrs Japan 2026 badminton tournament on Wednesday, according to Olympics.com.
Eighth-seeded Lakshya defeated Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen 21-19, 21-18 in a 49-minute contest at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. Lakshya, who was placed 10th in the qualification standings ahead of the Super 500 event, is aiming to break into the top eight and secure a place in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.
The Indian faced a stern challenge in the opening game, with Chi Yu Jen building a four-point lead at 14-10 before extending it to 16-12. However, Lakshya fought back by winning four consecutive points to level the score at 16-all, according to Olympics.com.
The contest remained evenly poised at 19-all before Lakshya clinched the next two points to take the opening game.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with both players keeping the contest close. Chi Yu Jen held a 17-16 advantage late in the game, but Lakshya stepped up his game, winning three successive points to take a 19-17 lead. He maintained his composure to close out the match in straight games, according to Olympics.com.
Lakshya will next face the People's Republic of China's Dong Tian Yao in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth staged an impressive comeback to overcome Denmark's Rasmus Gemke 18-21, 21-16, 24-22 in a thrilling contest lasting one hour and eight minutes.
Srikanth started strongly in the opening game and held a five-point lead at the interval. Gemke, however, fought his way back, drawing level at 14-all and 17-all before winning four of the next five points to take the game.
The second game was closely contested as well, with Gemke leading 14-11. Srikanth responded with a remarkable run of seven consecutive points to move ahead 18-14 and eventually force a decider, according to Olympics.com.
The third game saw several changes in momentum, with Srikanth trailing 15-19 and facing the prospect of an early exit. The 33-year-old Indian showed resilience, saving two match points and drawing level at 20-all. After the players remained locked at 22-all, Srikanth won the next two points to complete a memorable comeback.
Srikanth will face fifth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the round of 16.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K put up a fight against fourth seeds Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan of Chinese Taipei before going down 16-21, 21-14, 21-14.
Olympian Tanisha Crasto and Hariharan Amsakarunan also suffered a defeat, losing 21-7, 21-9 to top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China.
On Thursday, World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face Japan's third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the women's doubles round of 16.
In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will take on Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi for a place in the quarter-finals. (ANI)
Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth advance to pre-quarterfinals at Kumamoto Masters Japan
