KUMAMOTO: Lakshya Sen’s impressive resurgence came to a halt on Saturday after a gruelling three-game semi-final loss to Japan’s world No 13 Kenta Nishimoto at the Kumamoto Japan Masters. The seventh-seeded Indian, who rediscovered form recently with a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, went down 19-21, 21-14, 12-21 in a draining 77-minute contest.
Sen, the 2021 World Championship bronze medallist, entered the match with a 3-2 head-to-head advantage but had lost their most recent meeting at the Indonesia Masters. On Saturday, he managed to stretch the contest to a decider but looked visibly drained in the closing stages.
The opening game was a test of patience and consistency, with both players looking to control the length of rallies. Lakshya began well, moving to an 8-3 lead, but Nishimoto wrested the momentum with seven straight points to go 10-9 ahead. Though Sen produced moments of brilliance, including a thunderous smash at 18-18, unforced errors cost him. A crisp reverse slice drop earned Nishimoto two game points, and Lakshya’s net error handed the Japanese the opening game.
Switching sides, Lakshya fell behind 1-5 but cleverly slowed the tempo, constructing longer rallies that unsettled Nishimoto. The Indian stitched together a strong run to lead 8-7 and went into the mid-game interval with a 11-8 cushion. With Nishimoto beginning to tire, Lakshya mixed sharp cross-court smashes with tight net play to surge to 20-14, eventually forcing a decider as the Japanese went long.
Returning to the side where he had controlled the first game, Nishimoto regained clarity and precision. He moved to 5-2 after Lakshya slipped during a defensive dive, and a fierce body smash pushed the lead to 7-3. Sen fought hard, even attempting a full pirouette to retrieve one steep smash — but the errors crept in again. Nishimoto entered the interval with a four-point lead and returned sharper, extending the gap to 14-7 with a series of clean winners.
Lakshya, increasingly under pressure, sent a few returns as Nishimoto marched ahead to 17-9. The Japanese earned eight match points, and sealed his passage into the final with one last crisp smash.
Sen’s campaign ends in the semi-finals, but the deep run, including strong performances in recent weeks signals a welcome return to form for the young Indian.