Kumamoto, Nov 14 || India's Lakshya Sen defeated former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to storm into the semifinals of the Japan Masters, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, here at Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium on Friday.
Sen registered a 21-13, 21-17 win over the world No. 9 Loh in 40 minutes. This was the Indian's seventh win against the Singaporean in 10 career meetings.
Sen will next face Japan’s world No. 13 Kenta Nishimoto for a place in the final.
After an evenly poised start, Sen seized control of the opening game with a decisive burst of six consecutive points, part of a larger run that saw him win nine of the next ten to move from 9–8 to a commanding 18–9 lead.
Though Loh attempted a late surge, but it was the Indian who comfortably closed out the game to go ahead in the match. The second game saw both players raise the tempo, producing some exciting exchanges.