Source:REUTERS/Arko Datta
[Saba Sports News] The women’s singles semifinals at the China Badminton Open featured an all-Japanese match between star player Yamaguchi Akane and 18-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki. In a surprising upset, Miyazaki defeated Yamaguchi 2-0 to advance to the finals, becoming the youngest female player to reach a Super 1000 final. From her performance in the match, Yamaguchi appeared to be in good form. After winning the Japan Open championship, she did not participate in the Korea Open or Hong Kong Open and had ample time to rest; thus, her loss had no objective reasons. During the match, Miyazaki showcased not only the typical strengths of Japanese players—good stamina and defense—but also stronger offense and faster speed than Yamaguchi, leaving her opponent with no chance. In her career, Miyazaki has already defeated Indian star Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, Ohori Aya, and Okuhara Nozomi; now with her victory over veteran Yamaguchi, she is poised to become Japan’s new top player and possibly another An Se-young.