Indonesia Open: Clash of Titans
A storied rivalry will see its latest chapter on the opening day of KAPAL API Indonesia Open 2025 tomorrow when Pusarla V. Sindhu takes on Nozomi Okuhara.
· DEV SUKUMAR
The Indian and the Japanese haven’t been close to the form that dazzled spectators in earlier years – most prominently in the 2017 World Championships final – for both have struggled to cross the early rounds of tournaments in recent months. Pusarla’s best performance this season was a quarterfinal at her home India Open in January, while Okuhara hasn’t made it past the second round in six events.
But given their background and contrasting styles, perhaps they still have plenty in store to enthrall the opening day crowd. Their last faceoff was in October 2023; Pusarla leads the head to head 10-9 and it will be interesting to see what each player can come up with given the stature of the opponent and the stage.
Among other high-profile opening round clashes in women’s singles will be Michelle Li versus Tomoka Miyazaki; the Canadian had won their first meeting last week at the Singapore Open.