Sen and Srikanth reach Kumamoto Masters quarterfinals

Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the men’s singles quarterfinals at the Kumamoto Masters in Japan, winning their round-of-16 matches while two Indian doubles pairs were eliminated.

Sen, the eighth seed, defeated China’s Dong Tian Yao 21-8, 21-14. Srikanth beat Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-15, 11-21, 21-18, recovering after losing the second game to secure his place in the last eight.

The victories set up quarterfinal matches against Japanese players. Srikanth is scheduled to face Koki Watanabe, while Sen is scheduled to play Yushi Tanaka. The matches will determine whether either Indian advances to the semifinals; the reported results cover only their progress to the quarterfinals.

Sen’s win over Dong followed his earlier straight-games victory against Chi Yu Jen, 21-19, 21-18, in the second round. The tournament is a Super 500 event. Sen recently won the Hylo Open in Germany, according to the tournament reports.

Srikanth’s win over Naraoka came after he advanced past Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the previous round, winning 18-21, 21-16, 24-22. Naraoka was identified as the fifth seed and world No. 8. Srikanth’s victory over him required three games, with the Indian taking...