Singapore Open: ‘Starting Point’ That Made Naraoka Believe
Kodai Naraoka deserves his flowers for the way he’s come on in the last 12 months.
· PREM KUMAR
It was at the Singapore Open last year that the Japanese star thrusted himself into the global badminton limelight from relative obscurity via a then fairytale run to the final.
When he touched down at the Changi International Airport in July, Naraoka was the 43rd-ranked men’s singles player in the world. A week later, he left runner-up to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, having taken down, among others, fifth seed Jonatan Christie and Prannoy H. S. on his way to the title match.
He has qualified for another two since – including January’s Super 1000 Malaysia Open he lost to Viktor Axelsen – scooped the Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year award, usurped Kento Momota, Kenta Nishimoto and Kanta Tsuneyama to become Japan’s men’s singles lead, and shot up to a career-high world No.3.