Canada Open: Okuhara in Hunt for Season’s First Title
A dozen years have passed since Nozomi Okuhara last won the YONEX Canada Open. The former world champion, who has had a somewhat uneven season so far, will hope to stand once again atop the podium as she seeks her…
· BWF STAFF
A dozen years have passed since Nozomi Okuhara last won the YONEX Canada Open. The former world champion, who has had a somewhat uneven season so far, will hope to stand once again atop the podium as she seeks her first title of the year.
Okuhara’s best performances were at the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters where she finished runner-up, and the YONEX Swiss Open, where she was in the semifinals. Interspersed with these high points were a few quarterfinals and first-round exits. Given that the draw doesn’t have any of the top 10, the No.2 seed will sense her chance.
The top seed is Beiwen Zhang, who lost a close US Open final on Sunday after holding match point against Natsuki Nidaira; the world No.11 is likely to run into home favourite Michelle Li in the semifinals. Li has a great record at the Canada Open, having won a hat-trick of titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and a fourth title in 2022.