Japan Open: Set to Make a Mark
Tomoka Miyazaki, face of Gen Z in Japanese women’s singles, is the prominent presence on the posters of DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026. Her seniors Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara are still in the thick of things but…
· BWF STAFF
Tomoka Miyazaki, face of Gen Z in Japanese women’s singles, is the prominent presence on the posters of DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026. Her seniors Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara are still in the thick of things but Miyazaki appeals to a different demographic.
However, there is one Gen Z talent coming to the Japan Open on the back of her biggest triumph – Riko Gunji, winner of the Canada Open earlier this month, her first HSBC BWF World Tour title.
Gunji was in fact world junior champion three years before Miyazaki achieved the feat. Unlike Miyazaki, who had a steady path into her senior career, Gunji struggled to cope with the demands of the circuit and had to play her wares in the lower tiers before she became a regular presence at its elite end last year.