French Open: Hirota Makes Tentative Return
Three months after she suffered a second career-threatening injury, Sayaka Hirota endured a nervy return to competition.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Hirota and Yuki Fukushima were nearly bundled out of the YONEX French Open 2024 by USA’s Annie Xu and Kerry Xu. With Hirota not moving fluently, Fukushima had a lot of ground to cover, and for much of the match their opponents sought to exploit that. The Japanese survived match point in the second game before stepping on the pedal in the third.
It was in the semifinals of the Syed Modi International last December that Hirota fell to the floor clutching her left knee. The Japanese were No.4 then in the Race to Paris, and the comparisons with their last Olympic campaign were inevitable, for a similar injury to her right knee had put paid to their chances at Tokyo 2020.
“It’s been three months since we played any competition, so of course I was very nervous,” said Hirota. "I knew I would be targeted, so I had to move better. Fukushima covered everything, especially at the back."