One of the high-profile tournaments of the year featured three of the 2018 World Champions ending on top of the podium at the Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open:
∙ Japan’s Kento Momota, the 2018 World Champion, made more history by becoming the first Japanese winner of the men’s Singles in the Japan Open, a tournament that started way back in 1977! He defeated Thailand’s Khosit Phetoradab in the final, 21-14, 21-11.
∙ Spain’s Carolina Marin continued a great 2018 by beating Japan’s 2017 World Champion, Nozomi Okuhara, in the women’s final, 21-19, 17-21, 21-11.
∙ Siwei Zheng and Yaqiong Huang won the all-Chinese final in the Mixed Doubles, zipping past Yilyu Wang and Dongping Huang in straight sets, 21-19, 21-8.
The continuity aspects of the event also extended to the men’s Doubles, where Indonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo defended their Japan Open title. They and Marin were the only 2017 winners to repeat in Tokyo. Summaries:
Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open
Tokyo (JPN) ~ 11-16 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s Singles: 1. Kento Momota (JPN); 2. Khosit Phetpradab (THA); 3. Viktor Axelsen (DEN) and Dong Keun Lee (KOR). Semis: Momota d. Axelsen, 21-18, 21-11; Phetpradab d. Lee, 21-12, 21-16. Final: Momota d. Phetpradab, 21-14, 21-11.
Men’s Doubles: 1. Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA); 2. Junhui Li/Yuchen Liu (CHN); 3. Jiting He/Qiang Tan (CHN) and Hung Ling Chen/Chi-Lin Wang (TPE). Semis: Gideon/Sukamuljo d. He/Tan, 21-16, 14-21, 21-13; Li/Liu d. Chen/Wang, 21-14, 21-16. Final: Gideon/Sukamuljo d. Li/Liu, 21-11, 21-13.
Women’s Singles: 1. Carolina Marin (ESP); 2. Nozomi Okuhara (JPN); 3. Aaya Ohori (JPN) and Yufei Chen (CHN). Semis: Okuhara d. Ohori, 21-12, 21-12; Marin d. Chen, 21-12, 21-13. Final: Marin d. Okuhara, 21-19, 17-21, 21-11.
Women’s Doubles: 1. Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota (JPN); 2. Qingchen Chen/Yifan Jia (CHN); 3. Greysla Polii/Apriyani Rahayu (POL) and Yue Du/Yinhui Li (CHN). Semis: Fukushima/Hirota d. Polii/Rahayu, 21-12, 21-18; Chen/Jia d. Du/Li, 21-17, 21-15. Final: Fukushima/Hirota d. Chen/Jia, 21-15, 21-12.
Mixed Doubles: 1. Siwei Zheng/Yaqiong Huang (CHN); 2. Yilyu Wang/Dongping Huang (CHN); 3. Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino (JPN) and Peng Soon Chan/Liu Ying Goh (MAS). Semis: Wang/Huang d. Watanabe/ Higashino, 21-15, 21-17; Zheng/Huang d. Chan/Goh, 21-16, 17-21, 21-14. Final: Zheng/Huang d. Wang/Huang, 21-19, 21-8.
