KUMAMOTO (Japan): Indian shuttlers have key matches on Wednesday at the Kumamoto Masters Japan. Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, from Andhra Pradesh, plays Denmark's Rasmus Gemke in the men's singles first round. The Super 500 event, worth $500,000 in prize money, runs from November 10 to 15.
In women's doubles, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly beat Japan's Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita 21-17, 21-14 in 42 minutes on Tuesday. They next face another Japanese pair, Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, in the pre-quarterfinals.
Other Indians
- Eighth seed Lakshya Sen opens against Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen
- Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun advanced after Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik retired hurt
- Dhruv Kapila and Radhika Sharma lost in mixed doubles qualifying
PV Sindhu has already qualified for the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, from December 9 to 13. For the other Indians chasing a place, Kumamoto and next week's Hong Kong Open are important.
