Japan Masters 2025: Lakshya Sen loses to Kenta Nishimoto in semifinals
Lakshya Sen lost his semifinal clash against Kenta Nishimoto as India's campaign ended in the Japan Master 2025.
New Delhi: Star Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen's campaign ended as he lost against world number 13 Kenta Nishimoto at the Japan Masters in Kumamoto on Saturday.
Seventh seed Sen lost 19-21, 21-14, 12-21 to sixth seed Nishimoto in a 77-minute match. Sen came into the match with a 3-2 head-to-head record but had lost their last clash at the Indonesia Masters earlier this year.
The Commonwealth Games champion recovered from an opening-game defeat to force a decider but looked completely out of touch in the third game. Lakshya managed to take an 8-3 lead, but Nishimoto got the momentum by taking seven consecutive points for a 10-9 advantage.
Sen struggled against Nishimoto’s steep smashes as the Japanese player moved ahead 15-13. The Indian made it 14-15 after pouncing on a loose net shot, before delivering a criss-cross return to level the score.
Sen moved ahead 17-16 but briefly let the lead slip with two shots into the net. A stunning straight smash made it 18-18 before his next attempt missed the line by a whisker. Nishimoto got two game points with a reverse slice drop. He sent one smash wide before the Indian shuttler netted again, handing the opening game to the Japanese.
Lakshya Sen wins second game
After changing ends, Sen fell 1-5 behind the Japanese shuttler but slowed down the rallies and forged together a run of points to take an 8-7 lead as Nishimoto started to struggle physically. Sen won eight of the last nine points to go into the break with a three-point lead.
He maintained his advantage and reached 16-13 with a mix of crisp smashes and strong defence. Sen surged to a 20-14 lead after Nishimoto faltered and levelled the match as the Japanese lost the second game.
Nishimoto rediscovers form
The Japanese got back to his preferred side of the court and found his rhythm back with attacking returns. He took a 5-2 lead after Sen slipped and sent the shuttle wide during a defensive reflex dive.
A terrific body smash pushed Nishimoto's lead to 7-3, and it became 9-5 with another long return from the Indian. He managed the four-point lead at the interval after showing great tactical awareness.
After resumption, Lakshya faltered again and tapped into the net as Nishimoto extended the lead to 14-7 with two more smashes. Sen went wide again to hand eight match points to Nishimoto, who booked his place in the final with another clean smash.