Veteran Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth and eighth-seeded Lakshya Sen progressed to the men's singles quarterfinals at the Kumamoto Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Japan on Thursday. The Indian pair recorded contrasting victories to keep their campaigns alive at the tournament held at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
Former World No. 1 Srikanth secured a significant victory against the fifth seed and world number 8, Kodai Naraoka of Japan. Srikanth won the match 21-15, 11-21, 21-18, marking his first win in five meetings against the Japanese player. In the quarterfinals, Srikanth is set to face another local opponent, world number 15 Koki Watanabe.
Lakshya, who currently sits 10th in the BWF World Tour rankings, moved into the last eight by defeating China’s Dong Tian Yao in straight games, 21-8, 21-14. The Indian shuttler, who previously won the Hylo Open in Germany, is aiming for a top-eight finish in the rankings to qualify for the season-ending tournament in China. He will face Japan's Yushi Tanaka in his next match.
While the men’s singles players advanced, the Indian women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand faced elimination in the round of 16. The duo, who previously won a bronze medal at the World Championships in New Delhi, lost 21-14, 21-14 to the third-seeded Japanese pair of Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
Key facts
- Kidambi Srikanth defeated Kodai Naraoka with scores of 21-15, 11-21, 21-18.
- Lakshya Sen secured a straight-game victory over Dong Tian Yao, winning 21-8, 21-14.
- The Kumamoto Masters is classified as a BWF Super 500 tournament.
- Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were defeated by third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
- Lakshya Sen is currently 10th in the BWF World Tour rankings.
Why it matters
For Lakshya Sen, the progression to the quarterfinals is crucial in his pursuit of a spot at the season-ending tournament in China. He currently requires a finish within the top eight of the BWF World Tour rankings to secure qualification.
Background
Srikanth has demonstrated strong form this season, having reached the US Open final and the quarterfinals of the China Masters Super 750 tournament earlier this year.
Source: The Hindu
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