Japan Open: Yamaguchi Leads Home Surge
Once Akane Yamaguchi had staged a surreal comeback, there was no looking back for Japan. The home fans’ reigning deity, nearly down and out against Kim Ga Eun, broke her opponent’s heart as she completed her 11th…
· DEV SUKUMAR
Once Akane Yamaguchi had staged a surreal comeback, there was no looking back for Japan. The home fans’ reigning deity, nearly down and out against Kim Ga Eun, broke her opponent’s heart as she completed her 11th straight victory over the Korean.
What followed was a dream day for Japan, with Yushi Tanaka upstaging No.2 seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn to enter his maiden Super 750 semifinal, Koki Watanabe taking down third seed Anders Antonsen, and Kodai Naraoka prevailing in a 98-minute marathon against Alwi Farhan.
There were the victories in doubles as well, with Akira Koga/Natsu Saito, Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi and Yuki Fukushima/Mayu Matsumoto taking their places in the semifinals. Japan had won all seven of their matches today.