Photo Credit: NMBA
5 July 2024 – Happy World Badminton Day! Day four of the CROWNE PLAZA Northern Marianas Open (2-7 July 2024) was an exhilarating quarterfinals day. Matches began at 3 PM local time at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, with thrilling results across all categories.
Mixed Doubles: In a surprising turn of events, all top four mixed doubles seeds were knocked out by unseeded contestants.
- An Yun Seong/Kim Hye Jeong (KOR) vs Hiroki Nishi/Akari Sato (JPN) [1] 22-20 12-21 21-14
- Yuichi Shimogami/Sayaka Hobara (JPN) vs Phatharathorn Nipornram/Nattamon Laisuan (THA) [2] 21-18 21-14
- Tori Aizawa/Hina Osawa (JPN) vs Cheng Kai Wen/Liu Chiao-Yun (TPE) [3] 21-15 17-21 21-17
- Kota Ogawa/Misaki Kurashima (JPN) vs Edward Lau/Shaunna Li (NZL) [4] 24-22 21-18
Women’s Singles: The women’s singles quarterfinals featured some significant upsets and highlights. Number six seed Akari Kurihara from Japan defeated number one seed Lin Hsiang Ti from Chinese Taipei. After a walkover in the round of 16, Arena Samin from Malaysia came on in full force to take on Sorano Yoshikawa from Japan. The two battled out in a three-game thriller, lasting 77 minutes. Samin (WR 449) in her defeat of Yoshikawa (WR 165), prevented an all Japanese women’s singles semifinal.
- Akari Kurihara (JPN) [6] vs Lin Hsiang Ti (TPE) [1] 21-11 24-22
- Arena Samin (MAS) vs Sorano Yoshikawa (JPN) 21-19 15-21 23-21
Men’s Singles: In the men’s singles category, notable matches included Singapore’s Jia Wei Joel Koh’s win over number four seed Ryoma Muramoto from Japan, in two straight games. At the same time, Cheng Kai (TPE) upset his teammate and number two seed Kuo Kuan Lin (TPE) in a fiercely contested match.
-
- Jia Wei Joel Koh (SGP) vs. Ryoma Muramoto (JPN) [4] 21-18, 21-13
- Cheng Kai (TPE) vs. Kuo Kuan Lin (TPE) [2] 27-25, 15-21, 21-14
Women’s Doubles: The women’s doubles quarterfinals saw impressive performances by the Korean sister pair Kim Hye Jeong and Kim Yu Jung, as they cruised through to the semifinals with a straight-sets victory against their Japanese opponents. Simultaneously, Mizuki Otake and Miyu Takahashi (JPN) defeated the number two seeds Nicole Gonzales Chan and Yang Chu Yun from Chinese Taipei in a nail-biting match.
-
- Kim Hye Jeong/Kim Yu Jung (KOR) vs. Nanako Hara/Riko Kiyose (JPN) 21-10, 21-11
- Mizuki Otake/Miyu Takahashi (JPN) vs. Nicole Gonzales Chan/Yang Chu Yun (TPE) [2] 19-21, 21-9, 21-16
Men’s Doubles: The men’s doubles quarterfinals featured intense domestic rivalries among Japanese pairs. Tori Aizawa and Daisuke Sano defeated the number two seeds Kazuki Shibata and Naoki Yamada. While An Yun Seong and Park Kyung Hoon (KOR) defeated the number one seeds Shuntaro Mezaki and Haruya Nishida from Japan.
- Tori Aizawa/Daisuke Sano (JPN) vs. Kazuki Shibata/Naoki Yamada (JPN) [2] 21-16, 21-18
- An Yun Seong/Park Kyung Hoon (KOR) vs. Shuntaro Mezaki/Haruya Nishida (JPN) [1] 21-18, 21-15
Matches are available to watch on Badminton Oceania’s YouTube Channel.
CROWN PLAZA Northern Marianas Open 2024 Live Score
Tournament Schedule as following:
