India's campaign at the Japan Super 750 took a significant blow on Thursday, July 17, with the exit of Lakshya Sen and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in the Round of 16—both losing in straight games. These defeats not only mark a disappointing outing in Japan but also highlight deeper concerns ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Lakshya Sen’s 19-21, 11-21 loss to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka was particularly sobering. Sen started brightly, challenging Naraoka in a tight first game, but his rhythm unraveled quickly in the second. Naraoka took full control, dominating rallies and exposing Sen’s inconsistency—something that has haunted the Indian star in recent months. For a player viewed as a key medal hopeful in Paris, such a loss raises alarm bells.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag fell 22-24, 14-21 to the Chinese duo of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. The Indian pair, ranked among the world’s best, showed flashes of brilliance in the first game but couldn’t sustain the pressure. Once the Chinese tightened their grip in the second, the Indians had no answers. The result adds to a string of recent inconsistent performances, undermining their stature as serious Olympic contenders.
The early exits of PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy earlier in the week had already dimmed India's presence in the tournament. With Sen and the Satwik-Chirag pair out, the burden now shifts to Anupama Upadhyaya—the lone Indian remaining. She faces a stiff challenge in China’s Wang Zhi Yi in her Round of 16 clash.
The broader takeaway from the tournament is worrisome. Indian players are struggling to maintain composure in crunch moments, and lapses in intensity continue to cost them dearly. Technical skill isn’t the issue—it’s the execution under pressure.
With the Olympics just around the corner, the need for course correction is urgent. The next few weeks will be crucial not just for rankings and form, but for restoring belief in a squad that is talented, but increasingly uncertain when it matters most.
