Lakshya Sen enters second round of Kumamoto Masters Japan

India's Lakshya Sen progressed to the men's singles second round with a straight-game win over Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen at the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.The eighth-seeded Indian, who received a big boost after winning the Hylo Open in Germany, beat Chi 21-19, 21-18 in a 68-minute-long clash.Kidambi Srikanth also moved into the round of 16 after bouncing back to beat Denmark's Rasmus Gemke 18-21, 21-16, 24-22.After losing the first game 18-21, Srikanth found his rhythm to make an impressive comeback in the second, winning it 21-16. However, the third game went down to the wire, with Srikanth eventually winning 24-22 in an hour and eight minutes.However, India suffered defeats in the doubles matches.Dhruv Rawat and K. Maneesha went down 21-16, 14-21, 14-21 to fourth seeds Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan of Chinese Taipei, while Hariharan Amsakarunan and Tanisha Crasto lost 7-21, 9-21 to top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China.Lakshya, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, had suffered a loss against Chi at the Malaysia Open last year. He had returned the favour at the Australia Open the same year.On Wednesday, it was another close match as the two fought tooth and nail for supremacy.World No. 13 Lakshya fell 4-7 behind in the opening game as Chi, ranked 24th, grabbed a slender 11-10 lead at the break. On resumption, the Taiwanese extended the gap to 15-11, but a relaxed Lakshya slowly worked his way back to 14-16 with a cross-court smash.The Indian frustrated Chi with his superior net game, creating openings and finishing with cross-court smashes. Soon, it was 16-16 as Lakshya unleashed a down-the-line smash.A defensive block from Lakshya went into the net after a precise smash from Chi, allowing the Taiwanese to open up a two-point lead again.Lakshya clawed his way back to 18-18 but faltered in the next rally during a parallel exchange.However, Chi erred with a net dribble, and Lakshya produced another cross-court smash to earn a game point before sealing it by winning another exciting rally.The second game too followed a similar pattern, with the two battling for every point before being tied at 8-8. However, Lakshya stepped up to ensure a three-point lead at the break.Chi got his act together to draw parity at 13-13, but Lakshya again surged ahead 15-13 with a cross-court smash. The Taiwanese shuttler kept snapping at Lakshya's heels, levelling the score at 15-15 before taking the lead at the right time with a smash to go 17-16 ahead. However, Lakshya sprang into action quickly to establish control at 19-17.Lakshya let a shuttle land out to take two match points. He sealed the match when Chi botched his return, sending it into the net. Published - November 12, 2026 12:50 am IST