Lakshya Sen Advances to Quarterfinals in Kumamoto Masters

Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen advanced to the quarterfinals of the men's singles at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, with a commanding straight-games victory over Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh on November 13. The world No. 15 and seventh seed triumphed 21-13, 21-11 in a brisk 39-minute affair at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, showcasing clinical net play and relentless attack to dismantle his opponent's resistance. This marked Sen's second successive win in the tournament, following a dominant 21-12, 21-16 upset over local favorite Koki Watanabe in the round of 32 the previous day—a result that propelled him into the pre-quarterfinals and underscored his resurgence after a challenging 2025 season plagued by injuries and early exits.

Sen's match against Teh unfolded with precision from the outset, as the 23-year-old Almora native seized an 8-5 lead early in the first game before weathering a brief 10-9 counter to regain control at the interval. A blistering seven-point surge propelled him to 14-13, after which he methodically extended the advantage, forcing errors with sharp smashes and deceptive drops to seal the opener comfortably. The second game amplified his dominance, racing to 5-0 and 11-3 at the break, quashing any comeback hopes as Teh, ranked 20th globally, struggled against Sen's improved fitness and tactical acumen. This performance echoes Sen's bronze-medal heroics at the 2021 World Championships and his Paris Olympics semifinal run, signaling a timely boost in his Race to the BWF Finals campaign, where he currently holds a top-10 spot.

In the last-eight clash, Sen faces a stern test against Singapore's Loh Kean Yew, the former world No. 1 and 2021 All England champion, who advanced with a gritty three-game win over Denmark's Magnus Johannesen. Yew, known for his explosive power and mental fortitude, leads their head-to-head 3-1, including a straight-sets defeat of Sen at the 2024 Indonesia Open; victory here could mark Sen's first win over the 27-year-old and propel him into the semifinals for the first time since the 2023 Canada Open. The matchup pits Sen's agile defense and counter-attacking flair against Yew's aggressive baseline game, promising a high-voltage encounter in the later stages of a tournament featuring a star-studded draw with top seeds like Anders Antonsen and Jonatan Christie.

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Meanwhile, fellow Indian HS Prannoy kept the nation's hopes alive by navigating a tense pre-quarterfinal against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke later on November 13, following his own contrasting three-game grind past Malaysia's Justin Leong in the opener—a match where he saved two match points to extend his campaign despite a season hampered by withdrawals and second-round barriers. Prannoy, a 2023 Asian Games gold medalist, seeks to break through for a deep run, potentially setting up an all-Indian semifinal should both prevail. With early exits for compatriots like Kiran George, Ayush Shetty, and Tharun Mannepalli in the round of 32, Sen and Prannoy shoulder the spotlight for India in this late-season Asian swing, vital for Olympic qualification momentum into 2026.

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