Kumamoto, November 12 (H.S.):India's leading badminton player Lakshya Sen continued his impressive run at the Japan Masters 2026 on Thursday, securing a place in the quarter-finals with a convincing straight-game victory over China's Dong Tianyao. Sen prevailed 21-8, 21-14 to book his place in the last eight.

Arriving in Japan on the back of his title-winning campaign at the Hylo Open in Germany, Sen had earlier defeated Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu-jen 21-19, 21-18 to progress to the pre-quarterfinals.

The Indian shuttler dominated the contest against Dong from the outset, racing to eight consecutive points before wrapping up the opening game 21-8 in just 13 minutes.

The Chinese player attempted to fight back in the second game after trailing 4-6. However, Sen, who is ranked 32 places above his opponent, raised the tempo and won six successive points to open up a 12-6 advantage. He maintained his control thereafter to seal the match in straight games.

The victory marks another significant step in Sen's resurgence this season. Before travelling to Germany, the 25-year-old had endured a challenging spell on the international circuit. His triumph at the Hylo Open, however, provided a timely boost to his confidence. In the final, he defeated reigning champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 21-17, 21-10 to claim his first title of the season and the seventh of his career.

Although Sen withdrew from the Korea Open, his strong performances in Japan have strengthened his prospects of qualifying for the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.

Sen will now look to secure a place in the semi-finals. His quarter-final opponent is expected to be Japan's Yushi Tanaka, who defeated fourth seed Victor Lai of Canada 21-16, 21-19 to advance to the last eight.

Sen had reached the semi-finals of the Japan Masters last year, where he lost to home favourite Kenta Nishimoto. He will be keen to go a step further in this year's edition.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar