Kumamoto, Nov. 11 -- India's Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth registered hard-fought victories in their opening-round matches to advance to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals at the Keumamoto Mastrs Japan 2026 badminton tournament on Wednesday, according to Olympics.com.

Eighth-seeded Lakshya defeated Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen 21-19, 21-18 in a 49-minute contest at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium. Lakshya, who was placed 10th in the qualification standings ahead of the Super 500 event, is aiming to break into the top eight and secure a place in the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.

The Indian faced a stern challenge in the opening game, with Chi Yu Jen building a four-point lead at 14-10 before extending it to 16-12. However, L...