Kumamoto, Nov 14 (NationPress) India’s Lakshya Sen achieved a remarkable victory over former world champion Loh Kean Yew from Singapore, propelling him into the semifinals of the Japan Masters, a prestigious BWF World Tour Super 500 event, held at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium on Friday.

Sen triumphed with a score of 21-13, 21-17 in just 40 minutes, marking his seventh win against Loh in their ten encounters.

Next, Sen is set to face Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto, who is currently ranked 13th in the world, for a shot at the finals.

The match began with both players evenly matched, but Sen quickly took control of the first game by scoring six consecutive points, part of a larger streak that allowed him to transition from a narrow 9–8 lead to a dominant 18–9 advantage.

Despite Loh's attempts to rally back, Sen closed out the first game decisively. The second game saw increased intensity, with thrilling rallies exchanged between the two players.

At one point, they engaged in a grueling 41-shot rally, which Loh won. However, Sen regained momentum, scoring eight straight points to lead 15–9 at the interval.

Though Loh narrowed the gap to 11–15, Sen quickly countered, winning a crucial rally at 17–13 that disrupted Loh's rhythm.

Despite Loh's fierce comeback to equalize, Sen ultimately pulled ahead after an exhausting 42-shot rally—the match's longest—securing victory with a decisive smash at 20–17.

With this win, Sen is now the only Indian badminton player remaining in the tournament, following HS Prannoy's exit after a straight-games loss in the second round on Thursday.

Prannoy, who was once ranked sixth globally, fell to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke (ranked 30th) with scores of 21-18, 21-15 in 46 minutes.

India's hopes in the doubles and women's singles categories ended earlier in the tournament.