Finals day of the Northern Marianas International 2025 did not disappoint. In an action-packed day, some players soared to victory, while others were forced to grapple with falling just short of their goals. Nevertheless, the excitement of hosting a tournament with such high quality players was palpable throughout the Gilbert C. Ada gymnasium.
With three of the five finals consisting of only Korean players, the Japanese duos in the mixed doubles and men’s doubles looked to upset the Korean sweep.
Here’s your finals day recap.
Mixed Doubles
When Japan’s Akira Koga and Yuho Imai stepped onto the court, they had years of experience on the world stage on their side. Their opponents, Kim Jae Hyeon and Kim Min Ji (KOR), were equipped with passion and tenacity — they had something to prove, after coming through qualifying for their place in the competition.
The match was an outright arm wrestle, with both sides finding their rhythm. As the match continued, everyone overcame the nerves of the occasion. With his textbook deceptive shots and on-court excitement, Koga brought a buzz to the hall. Late into the third game, the Japanese pair looked set to take the match. However, Kim Min Ji’s composure and Kim Jae Hyeon’s fire saw the Korean duo topple their opposition winning the match 21-13, 16-21, 21-18.
Women’s Singles
In an evenly matched final, the women’s singles was a game of mentality. The player that steadied their nerves and held their composure would be the one to win. After going down in the first game, number one seed Park Ga Eun (KOR) refocused during the interval. She capitalised her opponent’s smallest mistakes and kept pushing to take the second game over fellow Korean, Kim Min Sun. With her growing momentum, Park refused to let up and stormed to a 21-9 win in the last game, for a 19-21, 21-19, 21-9 match win.
Men’s singles
It was a battle of teammates, as Cho Geonyeop (KOR) faced Yoo Tae Bin (KOR). Yoo took the early lead, separating himself from his opponent mid way through the first game. Yet, Cho sensed a lapse from Yoo in the second game and capitalised to force a third game. In the interval, Yoo regathered himself to upset his teammate’s victory hopes. He won the match v21-11, 17-21, 21-13.
Women’s Doubles
The match may have only lasted 28 minutes, but don’t let the score or the time deceive you. The women’s final of the Northern Marianas was a high quality match from start to finish. In an all-Korean final, Kim Min Ji returned to the court with Ye Na Lee to take on Jang Eun Seo and Kim Yu Jung. Between the long rallies and impressive defense, the anticipation throughout the match continued to rise. In the end, Jang and Kim’s ability to maintain their concentration and stick to the game plan lifted them to a level above their opponents and they came away with a 21-10, 21-13 win over their opponents.
Men’s Doubles
As Korea’s Kim Jae Hyeon and Japan’s Akira Koga returned to the court for the final match of the day, the crowd went wild. In the most anticipated match, Kim and his partner, Lee Sang Won looked to topple fan favourites Koga and Naoya Kawashima. Right from the beginning, the Korean’s tactics proved to work, they targeted Kawashima, keeping Koga out of play.
The Korean young guns’ fast paced play worked to their advantage, using their speed and power to overcome the experienced Japanese players. They won the match 21-16, 21-16.
