India’s run at the Denmark Open Super 750 event came to an end on Friday in Odense as Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles competition by Kodai Naraoka of Japan.
The Contest Was a Men’s Singles Competition
The match was played in men’s singles. Earlier, in the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles competition, the Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag were defeated by the fourth-seeded Malaysian team of Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in a match that was decided in only one game.
In a match that was decided by a large margin, Lakshya, who had previously won a bronze medal at the global championships in 2021, was defeated by Naraoka, who had previously won a bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics.
The Japanese player has won in all three of their matches against their opponent in international competition. It is interesting to note that Lakshya prevailed over him in their most recent matchup, which took place in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Youth Olympics.
The Japanese competitor, who is 21 years old, delivered a dominant performance on Friday, which allowed him to maintain his lead for the majority of the competition. He was a tough client to deal with.
After Gaining an Early Advantage
After getting out to an early lead of 5-2, Naraoka eventually found themselves in a position where they had a 13-9 edge. Despite Lakshya’s best efforts, his opponent was able to pull ahead and win the opening game. Lakshya’s advantage was just one point, 15-14.
The second game was much worse for Lakshya, as Naraoka jumped out to an early lead of 5-1 and then extended their advantage to 11-3 at the half. To go to 13-6, Naraoka proceeded to exert their dominance over the proceedings.
The following three points were scored by Lakshya, but Naraoka quickly responded to close the door on his competitor’s opportunity.
When they faced the Malaysians earlier, Satwik-Chirag put up a valiant effort in both games but ultimately lost 16-21 and 21-21. Chia-Soh has now been defeated by both of these players in all seven of their previous head-to-head matchups.
The Indians had a decent beginning, as shown by the fact that they were able to knot the score at 6-6, but they were never able to gain the lead in the opening game.
Satwik-Chirag were not their usual exuberant selves but kept pace with their opponents until the Malaysians opened their lead to 19-13 late on, with a flurry of points, before closing out the first game.
Satwik-Chirag kept pace with their opponents until the Malaysians opened their lead to 19-13 late on, with a flurry of points. The second game was likewise a close match, with the score knotted at 9-9 until Satwik-Chirag scored four points in a row to take the lead, 13-9.
Finishing Line
As a result, their competitors were re-energized, and Chia-Soh was able to make a comeback and grab a slim lead, 18-15. Even though they committed a few unforced mistakes, they were able to successfully seal the deal and ensure themselves a win.