Japan Masters: Lakshya Sen cruises into second round; George, Shetty exit early

Kumamoto (Japan), Nov 12 (IANS) India’s Lakshya Sen started his Japan Masters 2025 campaign strongly, advancing to the second round of the BWF World Tour Super 500 event with a straight-games victory over Japan’s Koki Watanabe in Kumamoto City on Wednesday.

The seventh seed and world No. 15 appeared in complete control throughout the 39-minute match, defeating the local favourite and world No. 26 Watanabe 21-12, 21-16. Showing sharp court coverage and deft net play, Lakshya hardly allowed his opponent to settle into rhythm.

The 23-year-old Indian will next face the winner of the match between Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh and Canada’s Victor Lai, a World Championships bronze medallist, for a place in the quarterfinals.

While Lakshya impressed, it was a disappointing day for other Indian shuttlers in the men’s singles draw. Kiran George bowed out after losing 20-22, 10-21 to Malaysia’s Jing Hong Kok despite a spirited start in the first game.

Rising star Ayush Shetty too faced a tough challenge, going down 16-21, 11-21 to fourth-seeded Japanese Kodai Naraoka, who dominated the rallies with superior pace and precision.

Later in the day, H.S. Prannoy and Tharun Mannepalli were also scheduled to open their campaigns, as India looked to strengthen its presence in the men’s singles bracket.

In mixed doubles, the Indian pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde put up a valiant fight before narrowly missing out on a second-round berth. The duo saved four match points but eventually went down 12-21, 21-19, 20-22 against the American team of Presley Smith and Jennie Gai in a thrilling 56-minute contest.

India will have no competitors in the men’s doubles section with Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy pulling out from the tournament. The combination of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde is the country’s only challenge in the mixed doubles category.

--IANS

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