New Delhi: Fresh from ending his difficult run with a title triumph at the Hylo Open in Germany, India’s Lakshya Sen will look to carry his winning momentum into the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament, beginning Tuesday.
The 25-year-old shuttler is aiming to strengthen his chances of qualifying for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, scheduled to take place in China from December 9 to 13.
Currently ranked World No. 13, Lakshya occupies the 10th position in the BWF World Tour rankings. He needs to break into the top eight to secure qualification for the prestigious tournament.
The eighth-seeded Indian will begin his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen, who is ranked World No. 24. Lakshya holds a 1-1 head-to-head record against his opponent.
A strong performance in Japan, followed by another good showing at next week’s Hong Kong Open Super 500, could be enough to secure his place among the season’s top eight players.
Srikanth, Malvika Lead India’s Singles Challenge
Former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth will also compete in the men’s singles draw. The Indian, who reached the US Open final in June, will face Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke.
In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod faces a difficult opening challenge against fifth seed and home favourite Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan.
Satwik-Chirag Look To End Losing Run
India’s star men’s doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be eager to rediscover their winning form after suffering three consecutive first-round exits.
The sixth-seeded pair, currently ranked World No. 6, will face China’s fifth seeds Wang Chang and Xie Haonan.
Satwik and Chirag, who won the China Masters and Singapore Open titles this year, are currently 12th in the World Tour rankings with 58,550 points. They also face a qualification challenge, with only two pairs from each country allowed to enter the World Tour Finals, provided they finish inside the top eight.
Third seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun will take on Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
Indian Doubles Players Prepare For Tough Tests
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will face Japan’s Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita.
In mixed doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and Tanisha Crasto will meet top seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin of China. Dhruv Rawat and K. Maneesha will take on fourth seeds Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan of Chinese Taipei.
With qualification opportunities narrowing, the Kumamoto Masters presents an important opportunity for India’s leading shuttlers to strengthen their positions ahead of the season-ending championships.
