Kumamoto, November 12 (H.S.): India's Kidambi Srikanth produced a determined performance to overcome home favourite and fifth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan, booking his place in the quarter-finals of the Japan Masters badminton tournament on Thursday.

The former world number one prevailed 21-15, 11-21, 21-18 in a gripping contest lasting an hour. The victory was particularly significant as it marked Srikanth's first win over Naraoka in five meetings.

Srikanth once again displayed his fighting spirit in a three-game encounter, building on his impressive comeback victory over Denmark's Rasmus Gemke in the previous round.

The opening game witnessed a closely contested battle, with both players trading points. Srikanth held a slender 11-10 advantage at the interval, but Naraoka fought back to move ahead 14-12. The Indian, however, raised his level at a crucial stage, claiming nine of the next 10 points to take the game 21-15.

Naraoka responded emphatically in the second game, establishing an 11-5 lead at the interval before extending it to 14-7. Srikanth attempted to narrow the gap, but the Japanese shuttler maintained his momentum and won the game 21-11 to force a decider.

The third game proved equally competitive, with the scores level at 7-7 before Srikanth gained the upper hand. He went into the interval with a 11-7 lead, but Naraoka, backed by the home crowd, made a determined attempt to turn the contest around.

Srikanth remained composed under pressure, refusing to allow his opponent to seize control. He held his nerve in the closing stages to take the decider 21-18 and secure his quarter-final berth.

The victory extended Srikanth's impressive run at the tournament. On Wednesday, he had fought back from a game down to defeat Denmark's Rasmus Gemke 18-21, 21-16, 24-22 in a match lasting one hour and eight minutes.

Srikanth had squandered a five-point advantage in the opening game of that encounter but recovered to force a decider. He was trailing 15-19 in the final game and appeared close to defeat, but saved two match points before claiming the next two points to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Against Naraoka, the Indian once again demonstrated the resilience that has marked his campaign, ending his wait for a first victory over the Japanese shuttler and advancing to the last eight.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar