Koki watanabe
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Japan Open: Lakshya, Ayush, Unnati Bow Out, India's Men's Singles Campaign Ends
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium: India's hopes in the men's singles draw at the Japan Open 2026 came to an abrupt end on Wednesday after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were both eliminated in their opening-round matches at the BWF Super 750 tournament, while Unnati Hooda also exited the women's singles competition.
Lakshya, seeded among the tournament's leading contenders by virtue of his world No. 14 ranking, was unable to counter home favourite Koki Watanabe, who secured a comfortable 21-16, 21-14 victory in front of the Japanese crowd at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
The Indian found himself chasing the contest from the outset as Watanabe established commanding leads at the mid-game intervals in both sets. Despite attempting to claw his way back, Lakshya failed to shift the momentum and the Japanese shuttler wrapped up the match in just 38 minutes. The defeat also handed Watanabe his third victory in seven meetings against the Indian.
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- 06 Jul 2026 09:14
