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Following his plea to get the visa issue sorted, Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen is all set to launch his campaign at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023 on Wednesday, November 15. In a tricky encounter, the World No. 17 will face the fifth-ranked Kodai Naraoka of Japan, who will have the crowd support on his side.
Last week, Sen sought the help of the sports minister Anurag Thakur, the PM Office, and the Ministry of External Affairs on social media following a delay in getting his Japan visa. With the China Masters scheduled just a week later, the Commonwealth Games champion's concern was justified.
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Now that the visa hassle is behind him, the 22-year-old will look to fully concentrate on his upcoming match and make a strong impression in this Super 500 event.
Japan Masters 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Kodai Naraoka: Head-to-head and Prediction
Kodai Naraoka has a slender 3-2 lead over Lakshya Sen in their head-to-head. The two have known each other since their junior days. In their most recent face-off, the Indian came up trumps 21-12, 21-11 at the Indonesia Masters earlier this year.
Naraoka, also 22, is a two-time medalist in singles at the World Junior Championships. The Japanese has been making rapid strides on the circuit since last year.
He finished as the runner-up at the Korea Masters, Singapore Open and Taipei Open before winning the Super 100 Vietnam Open in 2022. In 2023, Naraoka has made the finals at the BWF World Championships and the Malaysia Open, ending second-best in both.
The World No. 5 also made the last four in five other tournaments. He is, however, coming off a relatively poor run of results post the Asian Games, exiting the French Open in the quarters and the Denmark Open in the first round.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen showed superb resurgence in the month of July following an underwhelming first half of the season. He won the Canada Open, and made the semis at the US Open and the Japan Open.
However, his form has tapered off since then. Following the BWF World Championships, Sen has gone on a three-match losing streak on the BWF World Tour that includes first-round defeats at the Denmark Open and the French Open.
Suffice to say, Kodai Naraoka will present a stern test for the former Asian junior champion. Unless he finds his rhythm quickly against his familiar foe, Sen could be on his way out of this Super 500 tournament.
Japan Masters 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Kodai Naraoka: Date and time
Lakshya Sen and Kodai Naraoka will square off in the men's singles Round of 32 at the Japan Masters 2023 on Wednesday in the 11th match of the day on Court 1 at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
Date: November 15, 2023
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Time: Not before 3pm local time; 11.30am IST
Venue: Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Kumamoto, Japan
Japan Masters 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Kodai Naraoka: Where to watch & live streaming details
This Japan Masters 2023 match will not be broadcast live in India on any channel. Live streaming will, however, be available on YouTube on BWF.TV. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
