November 10th 2025.
At the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament, Indian badminton players HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen will be competing to regain their form and turn their potential into results. The tournament, with a prize money of USD 475,000, is set to begin on Tuesday.
After a sluggish period, Lakshya has shown signs of improvement with a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open and reaching the quarterfinals at the Denmark and Hylo Open. Now, the 24-year-old from Almora, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, is determined to continue this momentum. However, he faces a tough first-round match against Japan's world No. 25 Koki Watanabe.
Meanwhile, Prannoy has also faced a rough patch due to a bout of chikungunya before the Paris Olympics, where he played through pain but couldn't progress further. The 33-year-old from Kerala, who has been a consistent performer for India, will be looking to bounce back from his injury and regain his form. In his first match after more than a month's break, he will face Malaysia's Jun Hao Leong.
In the upcoming generation, US Open winner Ayush Shetty will be facing top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the first round. Ayush had earlier stunned former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the Hylo Open quarterfinals. Tharun Mannepalli, who reached the semifinals at the Macau Open Super 300, will be facing Korea's Jeon Hyeok Jin, while Kiran George, who caused an upset by defeating France's Toma Junior Popov at the Hylo Open, will be playing against a qualifier.
In the mixed doubles category, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will be facing the American pair of Presley Smith and Jennie Gai. However, there are no other Indian entries in the other categories.
Despite their struggles, the Indian players are determined to give their best and make their mark at the Kumamoto Masters Japan Super 500 tournament. With high stakes and tough competition, it will be an exciting event to watch as the players aim to deliver their best performances.
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