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Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen is the last Indian standing in singles at the Denmark Open. HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth notably exited the competition in Odense on Thursday.
While Srikanth went down against seventh seed Loh Kean Yew, Sen was the one who accounted for Prannoy with a 21-9, 21-18 win. The result secured the 21-year-old's passage into the last eight of this Super 750 event.
Sen next faces World No. 24 Kodai Naraoka of Japan, a player he has known since his junior days.
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Lakshya Sen vs Kodai Naraoka: Head-to-head & prediction
Naraoka leads Sen 2-1 in their head-to-head. Interestingly, all three of their clashes so far have gone the distance.
Naraoka first earned a 21-17, 21-23, 21-10 win over the Indian at the Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open in 2017. The Japanese went on to repeat his heroics at the World Junior Championships that same year with a 14-21, 21-17, 21-14 win.
The Commonwealth Games gold medalist exacted revenge the very next year with a 14-21, 21-15, 24-22 comeback victory at the Youth Olympics.
There is currently a 16-place gap in the world rankings between the eighth-ranked Sen and 24th-ranked Naraoka.
Although the 21-year-old Japanese hasn't been the most consistent this season, he still has a few deep runs to show for. He entered the Denmark Open on the back of a title win at the Super 100 Vietnam Open earlier this month.
Naraoka also finished as the runner-up at the Super 500 Singapore Open, as well as the Super 300 Taipei Open and Korea Masters. He made the semifinals of the Thailand Open, a Super 500 tournament, as well.
At the ongoing Denmark Open, Naraoka has won both his matches over Toma Junior Popov and Lu Guang Zu in straight games.
Although Sen is the higher-ranked player in this clash and the slight favorite to win, this won't be easy for him. Going by their previous record, we are possibly headed for another tantalizing three-game encounter when the two face off.
Lakshya Sen vs Kodai Naraoka: Date and time
Lakshya Sen will take on Kodai Naraoka in the men's singles quarterfinal match at the Denmark Open 2022 on Friday.
Date: Friday, October 21, 2022.
Time: Approx. 7 pm local time, 10:30 pm IST.
Lakshya Sen vs Kodai Naraoka: Where to watch & live streaming details
The Denmark Open 2022 is being broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. The matches can also be streamed live on Voot Select.
Live streaming is available on YouTube on BWF.TV in selected territories as well.
