NEW DELHI: Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and H S Prannoy marched into the pre-quarterfinals of the ongoing Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025 badminton tournament after winning their respective clashes of the first round on Wednesday.

H S Prannoy, 35th in the men’s singles badminton rankings, battled past Malaysia’s world No. 22 Jun Hao Leong 16-21, 21-13, 23-21 in a 68-minute thriller at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, according to Olympics.com.

The 33-year-old Indian badminton player, ranked world No. 6 before injuries and a bout of chikungunya disrupted his form in 2023, showed glimpses of his best to outlast his higher-ranked opponent.

After conceding the first game despite being level at 13-all, Prannoy shifted gears in the second to level the contest. The decider saw momentum swing bo

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