Japan Masters: Kidambi Srikanth stuns fifth seed Kodai Naraoka to reach quarterfinals
Kidambi Srikanth continued his winning run at Japan Masters.
Kidambi Srikanth continued his winning run at Japan Masters.
India’s Kidambi Srikanth registered his first victory over Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in five meetings, knocking out the home favourite and fifth seed 21-15, 11-21, 21-18 in an hour-long encounter to enter the quarterfinals of the Japan Masters on Thursday.
The former World No. 1 produced another battling performance to overcome Naraoka in a gripping three-game contest, following his dramatic comeback victory over Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke in the previous round.
The opening game was closely contested, with the two players trading points before Srikanth took an 11-10 lead into the interval. Naraoka briefly moved ahead at 14-12, but the Indian raised his level at the crucial juncture, winning nine of the next 10 points to take the game 21-15.
Naraoka responded emphatically in the second game. The Japanese raced to an 11-5 lead at the interval and extended his advantage to 14-7 after the break. Srikanth managed to claw back a couple of points, but Naraoka remained in control and wrapped up the game 21-11 to force a decider.
The third game lived up to its billing, with neither player willing to give ground. Locked at 7-7, Srikanth found a crucial opening to move ahead and carried an 11-7 advantage into the interval.
Naraoka, backed by the home crowd, fought hard to close the gap after the break. But Srikanth held his nerve under pressure, denying the Japanese a comeback and sealing a 21-18 win to secure his place in the last eight.
The victory extended Srikanth’s impressive run in the tournament. On Wednesday, the 33-year-old had staged a remarkable comeback to beat Gemke 18-21, 21-16, 24-22 in a contest lasting one hour and eight minutes.
After surrendering a five-point lead in the opening game, Srikanth bounced back to force a decider. He was then staring at defeat after falling 19-15 behind in the third, but saved two match points before winning the next two points to complete a memorable turnaround.
Against Naraoka, Srikanth showed similar resilience, this time converting the opportunity to end his winless run against the Japanese and move into the Japan Masters quarterfinals.
Published on Nov 12, 2026
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