DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open 2022 Tournament Report

DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open 2022
Badminton Championships
Part of HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750

DAIHATSU YONEX

Japan Open 2022

Tournament Report

Tournament Dates: Tuesday, 30th August - Sunday, 4th September, 2022
Location: Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka (Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium)

The championship was held in Osaka for the first time in 35 years. Many exciting matches were played! The 39th “DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open 2022 Badminton Championships - Part of HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750" was held for the first time in three years following its cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was held in Osaka for the first time in 35 years and followed the enthusiasm of Japan's first World Championships in Tokyo, which were held in the previous week. The tournament further raised the profile of badminton in Japan. Top-level matches were played in front of large crowds at the tournament and featured new rising stars as well as the players who performed at the World Championships in Tokyo.

The championship was held in Osaka for the first time in 35 years.
Many exciting matches were played!

The 39th “DAIHATSU YONEX Japan Open 2022 Badminton Championships - Part of HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750" was held for the first time in three years following its cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was held in Osaka for the first time in 35 years and followed the enthusiasm of Japan's first World Championships in Tokyo, which were held in the previous week.
The tournament further raised the profile of badminton in Japan.

Top-level matches were played in front of large crowds at the tournament and featured new rising stars as well as the players who performed at the World Championships in Tokyo.

Results of the Finals

Event	Players	Result
Men's Singles	Kenta NISHIMOTO (Japan) 2-1 CHOU Tien Chen (Chinese Taipei)	21-19 / 21-23 / 21-17
Women's Singles	Akane YAMAGUCHI (Japan) 2-0 AN Se Young (Korea)	21-9 / 21-15
Men's Doubles	LIANG Wei Keng/WANG Chang (China) 2-1 Kim ASTRUP/Anders Skaarup RASMUSSEN (Denmark)	21-18 / 13-21/ 21-17
Women's Doubles	JEONG Na Eun/KIM Hye Jeong (Korea) 2-0 BAEK Ha Na/ LEE Yu Lim (Korea)	23-21 / 28-26
Mixed Doubles	Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH/Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI (Thailand) 2-1 Yuta WATANABE/Arisa HIGASHINO (Japan)	16-21 / 23-21 / 21-18

Athlete Comments

	Kenta NISHIMOTO (Men's Singles Champion) I am genuinely happy to have won the Japan Open in my home country, and to be honest, I am relieved because it is my first win in an international tournament. I thought I had a chance to win in the second game. Towards the end of the long match, I continued to play a simple "backwards-forwards, backwards-forwards" strategy, and I could see that my opponent's legs were getting tired. I think I did a good job of holding my own to bring out the match like that. Of course, this championship is not the goal, and I feel that I am finally standing at the starting line. I was unable to qualify for the Tokyo, so I am playing with my sights set on the Paris. I think it would be difficult for me to even compete if I wasn't aiming for the gold medal at the Paris. Moving forward, I want to treat each match, each point, and each swing even more importantly in order to achieve the kind of play that will allow me to win.

Kenta NISHIMOTO
(Men's Singles Champion)

I am genuinely happy to have won the Japan Open in my home country, and to be honest, I am relieved because it is my first win in an international tournament.
I thought I had a chance to win in the second game. Towards the end of the long match, I continued to play a simple "backwards-forwards, backwards-forwards" strategy, and I could see that my opponent's legs were getting tired. I think I did a good job of holding my own to bring out the match like that.
Of course, this championship is not the goal, and I feel that I am finally standing at the starting line.
I was unable to qualify for the Tokyo, so I am playing with my sights set on the Paris.
I think it would be difficult for me to even compete if I wasn't aiming for the gold medal at the Paris.
Moving forward, I want to treat each match, each point, and each swing even more importantly in order to achieve the kind of play that will allow me to win.

	Akane YAMAGUCHI (Women's Singles Champion) (In the final) I thought how much I could take the initiative would be important, as we were both exhausted. I planned to go at top speed and full strength until I reached my limit, so I think the best part was that I was able to push through until the end. I am happy to have won. In the middle of the second game, I had lost speed and overdid it sometimes because I felt like I had to play quickly. But overall, I think I did a good job of keeping the shuttle low when it developed into a long rally, rather than going for 100% winners in a fast-paced match. I am glad that I was able to play the maximum five games in front of all of the Japanese fans. I think there was a lot of good badminton moves in this tournament, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. I hope that the junior players were able to gain some inspiration as well.

Akane YAMAGUCHI
(Women's Singles Champion)

(In the final) I thought how much I could take the initiative would be important, as we were both exhausted. I planned to go at top speed and full strength until I reached my limit, so I think the best part was that I was able to push through until the end. I am happy to have won.
In the middle of the second game, I had lost speed and overdid it sometimes because I felt like I had to play quickly. But overall, I think I did a good job of keeping the shuttle low when it developed into a long rally, rather than going for 100% winners in a fast-paced match.
I am glad that I was able to play the maximum five games in front of all of the Japanese fans.
I think there was a lot of good badminton moves in this tournament, and I hope everyone enjoyed it.
I hope that the junior players were able to gain some inspiration as well.

The Osaka crowd went wild during the exciting matches as the battle for the championship continued to heat up!

	Women's Doubles: All-Korean final The final day of the tournament opened with the women's doubles. It was an all-Korean match, with BAEK Ha Na and LEE Yu Lim facing JEONG Na Eun and KIM Hye Jeong. The BAEK/LEE pair, who defeated the tournament's favorites in the semifinals, were armed with ironclad receives. Meanwhile, the JEONG/KIM pair coordinate well despite only playing together for only one year and excel at attacking with varying tempo. The matchup between these two pairs was an epic rally battle. After JEONG/KIM took the first game which went to deuce, the second game became even more exciting. JEONG/KIM gained a 5-point lead early in the game, but BAEK/LEE pair stormed back and caught up with them in the closing stages. In the end, JEONG/KIM persevered to win the gold medal despite facing game point at one stage. The fact the match took 95 minutes despite being decided in two games indicates how intense the rallies were.

Women's Doubles: All-Korean final

The final day of the tournament opened with the women's doubles. It was an all-Korean match, with BAEK Ha Na and LEE Yu Lim facing JEONG Na Eun and KIM Hye Jeong.
The BAEK/LEE pair, who defeated the tournament's favorites in the semifinals, were armed with ironclad receives. Meanwhile, the JEONG/KIM pair coordinate well despite only playing together for only one year and excel at attacking with varying tempo. The matchup between these two pairs was an epic rally battle. After JEONG/KIM took the first game which went to deuce, the second game became even more exciting. JEONG/KIM gained a 5-point lead early in the game, but BAEK/LEE pair stormed back and caught up with them in the closing stages. In the end, JEONG/KIM persevered to win the gold medal despite facing game point at one stage. The fact the match took 95 minutes despite being decided in two games indicates how intense the rallies were.

	Mixed Doubles: The Japanese pair challenged the World No. 1! In the mixed doubles final, Yuta WATANABE and Arisa HIGASHINO advanced to the final, where they faced the world number one ranked Thai pair of Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH and Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI. The Japanese pair played excellent badminton from the start, with WATANABE running around the court as the rear guard and HIGASHINO hitting smashes and drop shots when the opportunity arose, and they took the first game 21-16. In the second game, WATANABE/HIGASHINO continued to take the lead and reached match point at 20-19. However, the top-ranked Thai pair fought back hard to take the game, sending the match to a final game. In the championship-deciding third game, the Thai pair took control and the WATANABE/HIGASHINO pair found themselves behind by seven points at one stage. The Japanese pair then fought back, with WATANABE making a jumping smash to close the gap to one point, but in the end, the Thai pair PUAVARANUKROH/TAERATTANACHAI pushed through to take the crown.

Mixed Doubles: The Japanese pair challenged the World No. 1!

In the mixed doubles final, Yuta WATANABE and Arisa HIGASHINO advanced to the final, where they faced the world number one ranked Thai pair of Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH and Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI. The Japanese pair played excellent badminton from the start, with WATANABE running around the court as the rear guard and HIGASHINO hitting smashes and drop shots when the opportunity arose,
and they took the first game 21-16. In the second game, WATANABE/HIGASHINO continued to take the lead and reached match point at 20-19. However, the top-ranked Thai pair fought back hard to take the game, sending the match to a final game. In the championship-deciding third game, the Thai pair took control and the
WATANABE/HIGASHINO pair found themselves behind by seven points at one stage. The Japanese pair then fought back, with WATANABE making a jumping smash to close the gap to one point, but in the end, the Thai pair PUAVARANUKROH/TAERATTANACHAI pushed through to take the crown.

	Men's Doubles: A heated battle between up-and-comers and veterans In the final, the Danish pair of Kim ASTRUP and Anders Skaarup RASMUSSEN clashed with the Chinese pair of LIANG Wei Keng and WANG Chang. The Danish pair aged in their 30s have strengths in their experience and that they are both tall. On the other hand, this was only the fifth international tournament for the Chinese pair, who are both newcomers at the age of 21. The match was a display of each pair's characteristics. In the first game, the Chinese pair gave up the lead early, but fought back in the middle stage to win it from behind, then the Danish pair controlled the second game from start to finish, taking the game without conceding the lead at any stage. In the decisive final game, after a back-and-forth start, the Chinese pair suddenly moved up a gear, playing to their own rhythm as they won six consecutive points. They eventually pushed aside the more experienced veterans with the vigor and power of youth and came out on top.

Men's Doubles: A heated battle between up-and-comers and veterans

In the final, the Danish pair of Kim ASTRUP and Anders Skaarup RASMUSSEN clashed with the Chinese pair of LIANG Wei Keng and WANG Chang. The Danish pair aged in their 30s have strengths in their experience and that they are both tall. On the other hand, this was only the fifth international tournament for the Chinese pair, who are both newcomers at the age of 21. The match was a display of each pair's characteristics. In the first game, the Chinese pair gave up the lead early, but fought back in the middle stage to win it from behind, then the Danish pair controlled the second game from start to finish, taking the game without conceding the lead at any stage. In the decisive final game, after a back-and-forth start, the Chinese pair suddenly moved up a gear, playing to their own rhythm as they won six consecutive points. They eventually pushed aside the more experienced veterans with the vigor and power of youth and came out on top.

	Men's Singles: A new star born following a turbulent start Advancing to the finals were Kenta NISHIMOTO, who beat the World No. 3 ranked player in straight games in the semifinals, and the Chinese Taipei veteran CHOU Tien Chen, who won bronze at the World Championships. In the first game, NISHIMOTO calmly played to his opponent's backhand and quickly reacted to deliver returns, taking a lead of up to 10 points before winning the game. In the second game, NISHIMOTO continued the momentum in a close game and reached match point, but CHOU showed persistence to bring the game to deuce and then took the game. In the deciding final game, a brilliant jumping smash by NISHIMOTO in the middle game changed the course of the match. NISHIMOTO closed out the match with another powerful jumping smash on match point, defeating CHOU for his first win in an international tournament.

Men's Singles: A new star born following a turbulent start

Advancing to the finals were Kenta NISHIMOTO, who beat the World No. 3 ranked player in straight games in the semifinals, and the Chinese Taipei veteran CHOU Tien Chen, who won bronze at the World Championships. In the first game, NISHIMOTO calmly played to his opponent's backhand and quickly reacted to deliver returns, taking a lead of up to 10 points before winning the game. In the second game, NISHIMOTO continued the momentum in a close game and reached match point, but CHOU showed persistence to bring the game to deuce and then took the game. In the deciding final game, a brilliant jumping smash by NISHIMOTO in the middle game changed the course of the match. NISHIMOTO closed out the match with another powerful jumping smash on match point, defeating CHOU for his first win in an international tournament.

	Women's Singles: Rock-solid world champion wins stunning final The finale of the six-day tournament was the women's singles final. Akane YAMAGUCHI, one of the tournament's most popular players and World No. 1, advanced to the final, where her opponent was AN Se Young, Korea's new star who has won five World Tour titles and has risen to No. 3 in the world rankings. YAMAGUCHI dominated the match from the start and won the first game in under 15 minutes. The second game was competitive at the beginning with the score at 5-5, but YAMAGUCHI picked up the pace and quickly scored seven consecutive points. Although AN was able to draw closer towards the end, YAMAGUCHI was able to push through and win the gold medal with a variety of attacks that kept her in the lead until the end. YAMAGUCHI, who won for the second week in a row after the World Championships held in Tokyo the previous week, said, "This really was the best result possible, so I'm very happy. " with a smile at the press conference.

Women's Singles: Rock-solid world champion wins stunning final

The finale of the six-day tournament was the women's singles final.
Akane YAMAGUCHI, one of the tournament's most popular players and World No. 1, advanced to the final, where her opponent was AN Se Young, Korea's new star who has won five World Tour titles and has risen to No. 3 in the world rankings. YAMAGUCHI dominated the match from the start and won the first game in under 15 minutes. The second game was competitive at the beginning with the score at 5-5, but YAMAGUCHI picked up the pace and quickly scored seven consecutive points. Although AN was able to draw closer towards the end, YAMAGUCHI was able to push through and win the gold medal with a variety of attacks that kept her in the lead until the end. YAMAGUCHI, who won for the second week in a row after the World Championships held in Tokyo the previous week, said, "This really was the best result possible, so I'm very happy. " with a smile at the press conference.

BIRD JAPAN is flying into battle and bringing even more energy to the sport of badminton Approximately 15,000 badminton fans attended Maruzen Intec Arena, where the championships were held in Osaka for the first time in 35 years, to watch the players' every move and cheer them on.: On Sunday, September 4th, the final day of the tournament, an exhibition match by para-badminton athletes was held prior to the finals, in which world-level play was on display to the audience, with commentary by Daiki KAJIWARA. The ULTRAtwirlers, Japan's only baton twirling performance team, performed as the opening act and thrilled the full house that was eagerly awaiting the finals.; The DAIHATSU booth, operated by the event's main sponsor Daihatsu Motor, distributed original fans and other supporter merchandise to visitors throughout the event. Life-size panels of the Japan National Team players were also set up along with DAIHATSU vehicles for visitors to take commemorative photos.
In addition, many people participated in the "Giant Lottery Gacha" where they could win original DAIHATSU goods, which brought more excitement to the tournament venue.

The championship was held in Osaka for the first time in 35 years. Many exciting matches were played!