Srikanth stuns World No. 8 Naraoka; Lakshya Sen reaches Japan Masters quarters
Synopsis
Kidambi Srikanth has finally cracked his 0-4 jinx against World No. 8 Kodai Naraoka — in Naraoka's own backyard — with a nervy three-game win at the Japan Masters Super 500. Combined with Lakshya Sen's dominant march to the quarters, India has two singles contenders alive in Kumamoto, keeping hopes of a deep run very much intact.
Key Takeaways
Kidambi Srikanth defeated World No.
8 Kodai Naraoka 21-15, 14-21, 21-18 in 60 minutes at the Japan Masters 2026 Super 500.
Srikanth overturned a 0-4 head-to-head deficit against Naraoka and next faces World No.
15 Koki Watanabe in the quarter-finals.
Lakshya Sen , the reigning Hylo Open champion, beat Dong Tian Yao (China) 21-8, 21-14 and will face Yushi Tanaka for a semi-final place.
Men's doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun lost 21-14, 21-14 to Japan's Hoki and Kobayashi .
World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela fell 21-14, 21-14 to third seeds Iwanaga and Nakanishi in women's doubles.
Kidambi Srikanth, former World No. 1, produced one of his best performances of the season on 12 November, defeating home favourite and World No. 8 Kodai Naraoka in a gripping three-game contest to advance to the quarter-finals of the Japan Masters 2026, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. Lakshya Sen, the newly crowned Hylo Open champion, also booked his place in the last eight with a clinical straight-games win.
Srikanth's Comeback Against Naraoka
Srikanth entered the match with a daunting 0-4 head-to-head record against Naraoka, making the win all the more remarkable. He claimed the opening game 21-15, producing a stunning run of seven consecutive points after finding himself trailing 12-14. The Japanese shuttler regrouped to level the match and held an early lead in the decider, but Srikanth steadied himself at 7-7, wrested back control, and sealed the match 21-18 in a total playing time of 60 minutes.
Notably, this result extends a strong run for Srikanth in 2026. Earlier in the season, he defeated Paris 2024 bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia on his way to a runner-up finish at the US Open in June, and also stunned then-World No. 9 Victor Lai of Canada to reach the quarter-finals of the China Masters Super 750 in September. This win over Naraoka adds further weight to his comeback narrative.
In the quarter-finals, Srikanth will face World No. 15 Koki Watanabe of Japan.
Lakshya Sen Cruises Through
Eighth seed Lakshya Sen was equally impressive, dispatching China's Dong Tian Yao 21-8, 21-14 in just 35 minutes. The win underlines the momentum Sen has carried into the Japan Masters off the back of his Hylo Open title. He will next face Japan's Yushi Tanaka for a spot in the semi-finals.
India's Doubles Pairs Bow Out
India's challenge in the doubles draws came to an end on Thursday. Men's doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun fell 21-14, 21-14 to Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in 34 minutes, while World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela lost by an identical scoreline of 21-14, 21-14 to third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan in the women's doubles Round of 16.
India's singles hopes now rest squarely on Srikanth and Sen, both of whom face Japanese opponents in the last eight and will be looking to continue their impressive runs at the Super 500 event.
Point of View
Reaching the China Masters Super 750 quarters, and now toppling the world No. 8 on Japanese soil all in the same season suggests something more than a hot streak. What mainstream coverage underplays is the psychological weight of overturning a 0-4 head-to-head deficit away from home. If Srikanth can repeat this composure against Watanabe, the question of whether he belongs back in the top-10 conversation becomes hard to avoid. Sen's Hylo Open momentum carrying into Kumamoto is equally significant — two Indians in a Super 500 semi-final would represent India's best doubles performance at this tournament in years, even as the doubles exits thin the overall medal count.
NationPress
12 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Srikanth's match against Naraoka at the Japan Masters 2026?
Kidambi Srikanth defeated World No. 8 Kodai Naraoka 21-15, 14-21, 21-18 in a 60-minute contest on 12 November to advance to the quarter-finals of the Japan Masters Super 500 in Kumamoto. It was a notable win, as Srikanth had lost all four previous encounters against the Japanese shuttler.
Who will Srikanth and Lakshya Sen face in the Japan Masters quarter-finals?
Srikanth will face World No. 15 Koki Watanabe of Japan, while Lakshya Sen is set to play Japan's Yushi Tanaka. Both matches are quarter-finals at the BWF World Tour Super 500 event in Kumamoto.
How did Lakshya Sen perform at the Japan Masters 2026?
Lakshya Sen, the eighth seed and reigning Hylo Open champion, beat China's Dong Tian Yao 21-8, 21-14 in just 35 minutes to reach the quarter-finals. It was a commanding performance that continued his strong late-season form.
Why was Srikanth's win over Naraoka significant?
Srikanth entered the match with a 0-4 career record against Naraoka and was playing against the home favourite in Japan. Overcoming that deficit, combined with other quality wins this season — including over Paris 2024 bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia — signals a meaningful return to form for the former World No. 1.
How did India's doubles pairs fare at the Japan Masters 2026?
Both Indian doubles pairs were eliminated in the Round of 16. Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun lost 21-14, 21-14 to Japan's Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, while World Championships bronze medallists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela lost 21-14, 21-14 to third seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi of Japan.
