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Day 4 of the 2023 Japan Open ended on a disappointing note for India as only Lakshya Sen managed to move to the next round. All others have crashed out of the tournament.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the Japan Open at the hands of Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin. The Indian pair, who were the third seeds at the event, lost the first game 21-15. In a nail-biting second game, the Indian pair won 25-23 to force a decider. In the final game, they went down 21-14 to end their campaign.
Prannoy HS lost a thrilling encounter against Viktor Axelson. The eighth-seeded Indian grabbed the first game but lost the next two to bow out of the tournament after a one-hour and 16-minute battle.
India's only win of the day came from Lakshya Sen, who defeated Japan's Koki Watanbe 21-15, 21-19 to cruise to the next round. Sen will meet fifth seed Jonatan Christie in the semifinal.
Notably, Sen is the only unseeded player in the final four of the Japan Open. The Indian looked good on Day 4 and will be keen to repeat the performance in the semifinal as well.
In the top half of the draw, top seed Axelson will take on fourth seed Kodai Naraoka. The Japanese shuttler came from a game down to defeat China's Shi Yu Qi.
Japan Open 2023: Day 4 Results (Indians Only)
Men’s Singles
Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) beat Prannoy HS (India) 19-21, 21-18, 21-8
Lakshya Sen (India) beat Koki Watanabe (Japan) 21-15, 21-19
Men’s Doubles
Lee Yang/Wang Chi Lin (Chinese Taipei) beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (India) 21-15, 23-25, 21-16
