The draws continue to narrow at the YONEX Northern Marianas Open, and with the field wide open, both seeded players and underdogs brought their best in a bid for coveted semifinal spots.
In their first international outing as a duo in nearly a year, Tori Aizawa/Hina Osawa (JPN) toppled 2024 Olympic silver medalist Jeong Na Eun (KOR) and her partner Cho Song Hyun in the mixed doubles. With a swift start to the match, the Japanese pair darted around the court, carefully placing the shuttle just out of reach of their opponents. Cho/Jeong found a rhythm in the second game to force a decider, but they couldn’t fend off a charging Aizawa/Osawa, who closed it out 21-16, 13-21, 21-8.
Aizawa went from strength to strength on the day, returning to the court alongside Daisuke Sano for an all-Japanese men’s doubles quarterfinal against Naoya Kawashima/Kota Ogawa. Even under pressure deep into the second game, Aizawa and Sano’s composure shone through in the critical moments, delivering a 21-8, 21-17 victory.
The major upset of the day belonged to Moon In Seo/Park Seul (KOR), who ran down an early lead by number-one seeds Audrey Chang/Jasmine Yeung (USA) in the women’s doubles. Still young and relatively inexperienced on the international scene, the American pair nonetheless held strong for much of the match, their endurance on display as they moved their opponents around the court. But a string of unforced errors opened the door for the Korean duo, who quickly capitalised for a 21-18, 21-19 win. Despite the loss, Chang/Yeung showed real promise, and their performance suggests they’ll be a pair to watch as they continue to develop on tour.
Other notable performances:
- Number-one men’s doubles seeds Wei Chun Wei/Po Chih Yang (TPE) secured their spot in the semifinals, edging out Japan’s Shuji Sawada/Daigo Tanioka 21-19, 21-19.
- Korea’s Jin Sung Ik/Lee Hyeong Woo outlasted Japan’s Yuto Nakashizu/Yuta Takei in the day’s longest match — a 63-minute thriller in the men’s doubles.
- Defending women’s singles champion Sakura Masuki (JPN) steadied her nerves to convert a 21-19, 25-23 win over Hirari Mizui.
- Koo Takahashi (JPN) powered through his match against Zhe Ying Wu (TPE), 21-8, 21-14, further proving himself a real threat in this tournament.
