Kumamoto, 13 November (H.S.): India’s star shuttler Lakshya Sen advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals of the Japan Masters 2026 after registering a convincing straight-games victory over Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in the quarter-finals on Friday. The eighth-seeded Indian defeated his Japanese opponent 21-16, 21-15 in a contest lasting 40 minutes.

Sen made a confident start to the opening game, establishing an 11-8 lead at the mid-game interval. Tanaka attempted to fight his way back into the contest and put the Indian under pressure, but Sen raised the tempo at a crucial stage to maintain his advantage and seal the first game 21-16.

The second game began on an evenly contested note, with both players locked at 4-4. Sen subsequently gained the upper hand and went into the interval with an 11-9 lead. The Indian maintained his composure and control after the break, holding off Tanaka’s challenge to win the game 21-15 and secure his place in the last four.

Sen has been in impressive form throughout the tournament. He began his campaign with a 21-19, 21-18 victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen in the opening round. He then produced a dominant performance in the second round, defeating China’s Dong Tian Yao 21-8, 21-14 in just 35 minutes to book his quarter-final berth.

Sen will now face Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, India’s Kidambi Srikanth bowed out of the tournament after suffering a straight-games defeat to Japan’s Koki Watanabe in the men’s singles quarter-finals on Friday. Watanabe defeated the Indian 24-22, 21-15 to advance to the semi-finals.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar