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Lakshya Sen is all set to meet his junior rival, World No. 33 Koki Watanabe, on Friday (July 28) for a place in the semifinals of the Japan Open 2023.
Having eked out a nail-biting win in three games over compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat in the first round, the Indian shuttler had a breezy outing in the second round against World No. 17 Kanta Tsuneyama on Thursday. The Commonwealth Games champion needed 50 minutes to get the better of the Japanese 21-14, 21-16.
The win propeled Lakshya Sen into his fifth quarter-final of the season. His best performance of the year so far has come at the Canada Open, where he lifted the trophy. The World No. 13 has also been to the semi-finals at the Thailand Open and the US Open, apart from a quarterfinal finish at the Indonesia Masters.
Japan Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Koki Watanabe: Head-to-head and Prediction
Lakshya Sen and Koki Watanabe have split their two meetings that came way back in 2016 at the junior level. Both those showdowns were at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships that year.
While Watanabe emerged victorious 21-16, 21-11 in their first-ever face-off in the mixed team event, Sen exacted revenge in the individual event with a 21-15, 21-18 win.
Having exchanged wins, they are now locked at 1-1 in the head-to-head and have a chance to take a lead in what would be their first-ever meeting at the senior level.
Watanabe is a former junior World Championships bronze medalist. However, he hasn't yet managed to hit the desired high at the senior level.
Prior to 2023, the 24-year-old had a solitary title on the BWF World Tour — the 2019 Orleans Masters. This season, the Japanese has been making rapid strides, which is evident from his biggest win on the tour, which came at the Super 300 Swiss Open. Watanabe also made a couple of quarter-finals at the Madrid Spain Masters and the Canada Open before arriving in Tokyo.
At the ongoing Japan Open, the World No. 33 outlasted former top-ranked player Kento Momota 13-21, 21-16, 21-13 to begin his campaign. He then went on to beat World No. 21 NG Tze Yong 21-17, 21-14 to claim his quarter-final berth at his home tournament.
However, Lakshya Sen has been far more consistent than Watanabe in the past couple of years and has more experience at the highest level of the sport. Although playing at home could be an added source of motivation for the Japanese shuttler, Sen's fighting spirit and self-belief should help him come through.
Read: Japan Open 2023: Preview, schedule, where to watch & live streaming details in India
Japan Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Koki Watanabe: Date and time
Lakshya Sen and Koki Watanabe will clash in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Japan Open 2023 on Friday in the fourth match of the day on Court 2.
Date: July 28, 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Time: Approx. 12.15 pm local time; 8.45 am IST
Venue: Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Japan Open 2023, Lakshya Sen vs Koki Watanabe:
Where to watch & live streaming details
This Japan Open match will be broadcast live in India on the Sports18 1 and Sports18 1 HD channels. It will also be shown live on the Jio Cinema app.
Live streaming will be available on YouTube on BWF.TV too. Live scores can also be followed on the tournament software.
