The 2024 Japan Masters, the penultimate tournament for qualifying for the prestigious 2024 BWF World Tour Finals, is set to ignite the badminton court with a series of thrilling matches. With qualification hopes hanging in the balance, top-tier players are ready to showcase their skills and secure their spots in the year-end finale.
Intriguing Opening Round Encounters
The opening round promises a feast for badminton enthusiasts, with several high-profile clashes on the cards.
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Men’s Singles:
- The reigning Japan Open champion Alex Lanier will face a stern test against No. 7 seed Li Shifeng.
- Hong Kong Open runner-up Lei Lanxi will lock horns with Loh Kean Yew in a battle of rising stars.
- No. 6 seed Chou Tien-chen will square off against Brian Yang in a match that could go either way.
- Denmark Open runner-up Koki Watanabe will take on Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo in a clash of attacking prowess.
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Women’s Singles:
- Third seed Tai Tzu-ying, returning from injury, will face a qualifier.
- Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and Tomoka Miyazaki are set to deliver an exciting encounter.
- Putri Kusuma Wardani, fresh from her Korea Masters victory, will challenge 2019 World Junior champion Riko Gunji.
- Pusarla V Sindhu, aiming to salvage her season, will face Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
A Look at the Doubles Draws
In the doubles events, the competition is equally fierce.
- Women’s Doubles:
- No. 5 seeds Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan will face a tough challenge from the new pair of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
Notable Promotions and Withdrawals
Several players have earned promotions to the main draw, while others have been forced to withdraw due to injuries or other reasons:
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Promotions:
- Men’s Singles: Minoru Koga, Keita Makino (Japan)
- Women’s Singles: Tung Ciou-Tong (Chinese Taipei)
- Men’s Doubles: Takumi Nomura/Yuichi Shimogami, Keiichiro Matsui/Katsuki Tamate (all Japan), Chiang Chien-Wei/Wei Chun Wei (Chinese Taipei)
- Women’s Doubles: Hsieh Pei Shan/Hung En-Tzu (Chinese Taipei), Arisa Igarashi/Ayako Sakuramoto, Kaho Osawa/Mai Tanabe (Japan)
- Mixed Doubles: Takumi Nakashima/Mikoto Chiba (Japan)
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Withdrawals:
- Men’s Singles: Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (Indonesia), Weng Hong Yang (China)
- Women’s Singles: Nozomi Okuhara (Japan)
- Men’s Doubles: Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (China), Andreas Sondergaard/Jesper Toft (Denmark), Kazuki Shibata/Naoki Yamada (Japan)
- Women’s Doubles: Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (Korea), Nicole Gonzales Chan/Yang (Chinese Taipei)
- Mixed Doubles: Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan (Chinese Taipei)
As the Japan Masters unfolds, badminton fans around the world will be eagerly anticipating the thrilling battles and potential upsets that could shape the final qualification picture for the World Tour Finals.
Photo credit: BWF
