Lakshya Sen’s impressive run at the Japan Masters came to an end on Saturday, as the Indian shuttler went down in three games to hometown favourite Kenta Nishimoto in the semifinals of the BWF World Tour Super 500 event in Kumamoto.

Lakshya made a bright start, racing to an 8-3 lead in the opening game. But Nishimoto wrested back control with a burst of seven straight points, using sharp, angled smashes to push ahead. Though Lakshya clawed back to level the scores late in the game, a string of net errors at crucial moments proved costly, allowing the Japanese to take the opener 21-19.

Advertisement

The Indian struck back strongly in the second game. After trailing 1-5, Lakshya slowed down the tempo, tightened his net play and targeted Nishimoto’s visible physical discomfort. His control

See Full Page