When Naoya Kawashima/Kota Ogawa stepped onto the court this afternoon at the CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International, they knew they weren’t in for a regular match. Opposite them was a pair who had been around the world a few times — Alistair Casey and Mathew Fogarty are no strangers to the international scene. At 69, Fogarty…
Park Seul knew she had a tough day ahead at the YONEX Northern Marianas Open. With two finals on the agenda, she needed to be at her sharpest from the first point to the last. In the first match of the day, the Korean athlete took to the court with Lee Hyeong Woo in the…
First to step on court, last to leave — Japan’s Tori Aizawa had two opportunities to reach the final round of the YONEX Northern Marianas Open today. In the men’s doubles, Aizawa and his partner Daisuke Sano overcame a slow start against Korea’s Hyun/Lee to keep their title hopes alive, winning 13-21, 21-12, 21-14. Later…
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…
The top seeds fell hard on day 3 at the YONEX Northern Marianas Open. Eight of the tournament’s highest-ranked players are out, and with the field narrowing, the titles are suddenly up for grabs. Three number-one seeds went down across three disciplines. In mixed doubles, Mohit Jaglan/Lakshita Jaglan (IND) never found their rhythm, folding to…
From the very first serve, day two of the YONEX Northern Marianas Open delivered the action. For some, today marked a milestone achievement. For others, the disappointment of falling just short was palpable. For Tian Qi Zhang and Audery Chang, today’s win was confirmation of the hard work they’ve been putting in. “We’re taking it…
The YONEX Northern Marianas Open kicked off today at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, marking the first sports event held on Saipan since Super Typhoon Sinlaku tore through the island in April. And for a community still rebuilding, watching international shuttlers back on court felt like a milestone in itself. It wasn’t a typical opening…
Three months after Super Typhoon Sinlaku caused widespread damage across the Northern Mariana Islands, athletes from more than 20 countries will converge on Saipan as international badminton returns to the Pacific. The YONEX Northern Marianas Open and CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International represent not only a return of world-class competition, but a chance for Saipan to…
The SATHIO GROUP Australian Open came to a close today, with five finals across the disciplines bringing the curtain down on a week of high-quality badminton. From dominant performances to nail-biting finishes, finals day delivered the drama befitting a tournament finale. Mixed Doubles Top seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (CHN) claimed the mixed doubles…
Nearly every semifinal went the distance today at the SATHIO GROUP Australian Open. With spots in tomorrow’s finals on the line, players from across the world dug in for some of the most hard-fought matches of the week. Mixed Doubles Top seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (CHN) were given a real test in their…