Kidambi Srikanth loses to Koki Watanabe in Kumamoto Masters Japan

Lakshya Sen Enters Semifinals Of Kumamoto Masters Japan

Lakshya Sen kept India's flag flying at the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 badminton tournament by reaching the semifinals, while veteran shuttler Kidambi Srikanth bowed out after a loss on Friday.

Kumamoto Masters: Lakshya beats crowd favourite to reach semis, Srikanth ousted

Kumamoto Masters 2026: Lakshya Sen beat home favourite Yushi Tanaka in straight games in the quarterfinals, while Kidambi Srikanth lost to Koki Watanabe. The victory strengthened Lakshya's push for a BWF World Tour Finals berth.

Kidambi Srikanth loses to Koki Watanabe in Kumamoto Masters Japan

World No. 31 Srikanth, once again struggled for consistency as he looked in control for much of the match. 

After beating Naraoka, Srikanth falls to Watanabe in Japan Masters quarterfinals

Kidambi Srikanth fell 22-24, 15-21 to home favourite Koki Watanabe in the quarterfinals, a day after he beat Kodai Naraoka for the first time in five meetings.

Kumamoto Masters 2026 Badminton Results: Lakshya Sen Storms Into Semifinals, Kidambi Srikanth Crashes Out

Lakshya Sen defeated Japan's Yushi Tanaka 21-16, 21-15 to reach the men's singles semifinals of the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500. He will face Indonesia's Alwi Farhan next. Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth crashed out after losing 22-24, 15-21 to Japan's Koki Watanabe despite holding a seven-point lead in the second game.

Kumamoto Masters 2026: Lakshya Sen advances to semifinals, Kidambi Srikanth eliminated

Lakshya Sen defeated Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in straight games to reach the Kumamoto Masters 2026 semifinals, keeping his BWF World Tour Finals qualification hopes alive. However, Kidambi Srikanth bowed out after losing to Koki Watanabe in the quarterfinals.