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India's top shuttler, Lakshya Sen, won an impressive straight-game win against the former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to seal his berth for the semifinals of the USD 475,000 Kumamoto Masters Japan.
India's Commonwealth Games champion and seventh seed Sen played outstanding badminton to beat world No. 9 Loh 21-13, 21-17 in 40 minutes. This victory also gave him his seventh win in 10 meetings against the Singaporean.
The world No. 15, who was the runner-up at the Hong Kong Open in September, will now face Japan’s sixth seed and world No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto.
Sen started the match with a 6-3 lead in past encounters and showed strong control from the beginning. After being tied 4-4 in the first game, he pulled ahead to lead 11-8 at the break. He then scored six points in a row to move 18-9 in front and closed the game with ease.
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Loh put up a better fight in the second game and stayed level at 9-9, but Sen again pushed ahead to 15-9. Loh reduced the lead to 17-18, but Sen kept his calm and finished the match confidently.
India's campaign in Kumamoto Masters Japan
Sen is the only Indian badminton player alive at the event after HS Prannoy bowed out of the tournament following a straight-games defeat in the second round on Thursday.
Prannoy, who was sixth in the badminton rankings two years ago before injuries and chikungunya halted his progress, lost 21-18, 21-15 against 30th-ranked Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in 46 minutes.
Lakshya Sen's opponent in the semifinal
India’s campaign in the doubles and women’s singles events were ended on Wednesday. Sen will next face Japan’s world No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto for a place in the final.
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