Kumamoto Masters: Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth advance in opening round

On Wednesday at the Kumamoto Masters Super 500, India's Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth won their opening-round men's singles matches. Sen defeated World No.24 Chi Yu Jen in straight games while Srikanth came from behind to beat Rasmus Gemke 18-21, 21-16, 24-22.

The eighth-seeded Lakshya Sen, ranked World No.13, had skipped the Korea Masters last week after winning the Hylo Open Super 500 last month. He progressed from the men's singles Round of 32 by overcoming Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei and is scheduled to play China's Dong Tian Yao, ranked World No.45, with a potential quarter-final against fourth seed Victor Lai of Canada on the path ahead.

Sen trailed 12-16 in the first game before rallying to take it 21-19 and then closed out the match 21-18 in the second. He relied on patience and extended rallies to force errors from his opponent rather than attempting outright winners, avoiding a deciding game in his opening match.

Kidambi Srikanth saved two match points to complete a 18-21, 21-16, 24-22 victory over Rasmus Gemke in an hour and eight minutes. The former World No.1 has struggled for consistency this season, reaching the US Open Super 300 final in June and the China Masters Super 750 quarter-finals in September, but suffering early exits during the European leg before arriving in Kumamoto as one of India's two men's singles entries.

Srikanth's second-round assignment is against Japan's Kodai Naraoka, the tournament's eighth seed; the former World No.1 has met Naraoka four times in his career and is yet to record a win, with their most recent meeting occurring in 2024.

There is no Indian representation in the women's singles draw at the Super 500 event. In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will face local pair Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in the second round, while in women's doubles Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are set to meet third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi after their World Championships Round of 16 victory over the same Japanese duo in Delhi ahead of Thursday's meeting.

Sen's next match will be against Dong Tian Yao (World No.45) and Srikanth will meet Kodai Naraoka in the second round.