Shogo Ogawa came into Saipan with one goal: to win. He fell short at the YONEX Northern Marianas Open last week, but the Japanese player was determined to make sure the CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International would be different.
“I needed to change my mindset. The first week I couldn’t play the way I wanted to,” he said. “Changing the mind is very difficult for me, but I did it, and it was the most important thing so I could win.”
Standing between him and the title was YONEX Northern Marianas Open champion Park Sang Yong (KOR), and it would take a champion’s effort to get past him. Even after dropping the first game, Ogawa knew the match was still his to win.
“I just started too slow and couldn’t reach the shuttle,” he said. “I knew I needed to speed up, and in the second game I was able to smash more. That made all the difference.”
Leaning on his power and his new mindset, Ogawa staged a comeback, clawing back to win 12-21, 21-19, 21-18 and finally claim the title that had eluded him a week earlier.
The mixed doubles final pitted experience against youth, as Korea’s Cho Song Hyun/Jeong Na Eun took on Japan’s Yuto Nakashizu/Mao Yamakita. From the first point, the Korean duo’s class was on display; their shuttle placement and power kept their young opponents chasing at every turn. When Nakashizu/Yamakita threatened to close the gap in the second game, Cho/Jeong simply shifted gears, closing out a 21-13, 21-15 win.
Between them, Cho and Jeong carry a BWF World Junior Team title, an Asian Badminton Men’s Team Championship bronze, two Uber Cup titles, and an Olympic silver medal—yet the CROWNE PLAZA Saipan International marks their first title together as a pair.
“We haven’t won a championship before, so I am very grateful to my partner,” said Jeong.
“She is very good at defense, while my strength is attacking, so we work well together,” added Cho.
After an early exit last week, the pair say their trust and chemistry on court are only continuing to grow.
Sakura Masuki (JPN) completed the back-to-back double in the women’s singles, facing the same opponent—Nodoka Sunakawa—in both Saipan finals. This time, Masuki knew a repeat performance wouldn’t be enough.
“Because I had to play [Sunakawa] again, I thought I needed to change my style because she knew what I was capable of,” she said. “I decided sometimes I needed to play the same rhythm as her, sometimes a stronger effort. I thought in my mind I could build up all the necessary tactics to win.”
The plan worked. Masuki closed it out 21-13, 21-16, leaving Saipan with two gold medals to her name.
In the men’s doubles, number one seeds Wei Chun Wei/Po Chih Yang (TPE) got the better of last week’s champions Tori Aizawa/Daisuke Sano (JPN). The Chinese Taipei pair held their nerve even as the Japanese duo threatened to force a decider, closing out a hard-fought 21-16, 22-20 win.
The women’s doubles final did not go ahead due to a walkover, with Mio Konegawa/An Uesugi awarded gold at this afternoon’s ceremony.
Today’s events bring the back-to-back Grade 3 tournaments in Saipan to a close. It was a fortnight that delivered elation, heartbreak, warmth, and community in equal measure.
For men’s singles champion Ogawa, it’s been a trying two weeks. But asked to sum up his time in Saipan in three words, his answer was simple:
“Ocean. Joyful. Thankful.”
