Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo on Saturday earned a berth in the Japan Open women’s doubles final, while women’s singles world champion Nozomi Okuhar
Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo on Saturday earned a berth in the Japan Open women’s doubles final, while women’s singles world champion Nozomi Okuhara withdrew with an injury.
The top-seeded duo edged compatriots Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, seeded eighth, 21-11,21-15 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Fukushima and Hirota were put on the defensive in the 46-minute match, having little chance to display the aggressive style that took them to the finals of August’s world championships, where they were runners-up.
Takahashi and Matsutomo, who captured a gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, sealed the win by scoring five straight points in hard-fought rallies after leading 16-15 in the second game.
“I knew the opponents were the same level as us. So I was playing thinking that I had nothing to lose,” Takahashi said. “I noticed that they were pushed back by our attacks, so we continued to play aggressively.”
Takahashi and Matsutomo, the 2014 Japan Open champs, will face South Korea’s Kim Ha-na and Kong Hee-yong in Sunday’s final.
“Kim has been playing well since we started playing, and has a lot of experience,” Matsutomo said.
