Japan’s Badminton Hopes Exit Korea Open After Early Defeats
Tomoka Miyazaki, Chiharu Shida, and Maya Taguchi all exited the 2026 BWF World Tour Korea Open before reaching the finals at Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, OSEN reported.
Miyazaki reached the women’s singles quarterfinals on the 6th, where she faced world No. 16 Hina Akechi. Akechi defeated Miyazaki 2-1 with set scores of 13-21, 23-21, and 21-8. The loss ended Miyazaki’s bid for a semifinal rematch against South Korea’s An Se-young. An advanced past Akechi in the semifinals on the 7th with a 2-0 victory (21-16, 21-12) to secure a spot in the final against Akane Yamaguchi. Miyazaki holds an 0-8 record against An.
In the women’s doubles bracket, Chiharu Shida and her new partner, Ririna Hiramoto, lost in the round of 16. The pair fell 1-2 (19-21, 21-18, 21-19) to Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria. Shida entered the tournament following a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
Maya Taguchi competed in mixed doubles and reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated. Taguchi and her partner had previously defeated South Korea’s Hyun Soo-min and Moon In-seo 2-0 (21-7, 21-14) in the round of 16.
Japanese Players Advance to Tournament Championship Matches
While the prominent Japanese trio exited the tournament early, other compatriots advanced. Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara reached the women’s doubles final, where they will face Kim Yu-jung and Lee Yu-min. In men’s doubles, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi advanced to face South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae.
An Se-young faces Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles final. Yamaguchi won last year’s Korea Open title but enters the match trailing An 0-10 in recent head-to-head meetings.
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