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Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen made a fantastic start to his 2023 Indonesia Masters campaign on Wednesday with a 21-12, 21-11 upset win over World No. 7 Kodai Naraoka. Given the Japanese had reached the final of the Malaysia Open earlier this month, this was a huge confidence-boosting win for the 21-year-old Indian.
The win comes after a couple of weeks of struggle for the World No. 12. Sen bowed out in the first round of the Malaysia Open before suffering a second-round exit at the India Open last week.
He now locks horns with World No. 28 NG Tze Yong in his quest for a place in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Super 500 event in Jakarta.
Lakshya Sen vs NG Tze Yong: Head-to-head and prediction
Sen has a flawless 3-0 lead in his head-to-head over NG Tze Yong. Their last two meetings took place in 2022, with both going the distance. While Sen edged Yong 19-21, 21-16, 21-12 at the India Open, he carved out a gritty 19-21, 21-9, 21-16 victory at the Commonwealth Games.
Although the Indian has beaten Yong in all three of their encounters so far, the Malaysian has proven to be a capable opponent each time, as evident from the scorelines.
Last year, he reached the semifinals of the India Open and Australian Open, as well as the quarterfinals of the Korea Open, Singapore Open, and Indonesia Masters. He also won the Bahrain International Challenge title towards the end of the year.
But it was Yong's determined fight in the Commonwealth Games final against Lakshya Sen that kept badminton fans on the edge of their seats. The 22-year-old will once again look to make it tough for the Indian. Sen needs to avoid getting passive against Yong and ensure that he keeps his errors to a minimum to have an encore of his Birmingham result.
Indonesia Masters, Lakshya Sen vs NG Tze Yong: Date and time
The seventh-seeded Lakshya Sen and NG Tze Yong will square off in the men's singles second round of the Indonesia Masters 2023 on Thursday.
Date: January 26, 2023
Time: Approx. 9.45 am local time/8.15 am IST
Venue: Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia Masters, Lakshya Sen vs NG Tze Yong: Where to watch & live streaming details
The tournament will be broadcast live in India on Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels from Thursday, January 26, 2023. The matches can also be streamed live on Voot Select.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
