Japanese stars Koki Watanabe and Akane Yamaguchi secure thrilling semifinal victories to book places in the Japan Open badminton singles finals.
Japan’s badminton fans have plenty to celebrate after home favorites Koki Watanabe and Akane Yamaguchi booked their places in the singles finals of the Japan Open 2026 with impressive semifinal performances on Saturday.
In a thrilling all-Japanese men’s singles semifinal, Watanabe overcame compatriot Yushi Tanaka in a hard-fought contest that lasted 79 minutes.
After dropping the opening game 19-21, Watanabe fought back strongly to claim the next two games 23-21 and 21-19, securing his place in the championship match.
The victory sets up a final showdown against France’s Christo Popov, who delivered a dominant performance against Japan’s Kodai Naraoka. Popov advanced comfortably with a straight-games victory of 21-14, 21-11, ending Naraoka’s hopes of reaching the title match.
In the women’s singles competition, third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi showcased her resilience by recovering from a slow start to defeat Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani. The Japanese star lost the first game 9-21 before regaining momentum to win the next two games 21-16 and 21-14.
The victory further strengthened Yamaguchi’s impressive record against Wardani, extending her unbeaten run against the Indonesian player to 8-0. The former world champion will now aim to capture another major title in front of her home supporters.
Yamaguchi’s opponent in the final will be India’s P. V. Sindhu, who progressed after China’s Olympic champion Chen Yufei retired due to injury during their semifinal encounter. Sindhu was leading in the second game when Chen was forced to withdraw, handing the Indian star a place in the championship match.
South Korea also enjoyed a successful day, securing spots in both the men’s and women’s doubles finals. World No. 1 men’s doubles duo Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae defeated Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin in three games, 21-12, 11-21, 21-13. They will face Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the final.
In women’s doubles, South Korea’s Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong advanced with a straight-games victory and will meet China’s Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in the title clash.
Meanwhile, the mixed doubles final will feature top-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping against Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, promising another exciting contest at the Japan Open badminton finals.