Japanese Duo Ayako Sakuramoto / Arisa Igarashi Shines at India Open 2025
Leon To
Thu Jan 30 2025
Establishing themselves as a formidable pair in the badminton world, Ayako Sakuramoto and Arisa Igarashi from Japan made a groundbreaking achievement by defeating the silver medalists at the Olympics, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China, consecutively to advance to the semi-finals of India Open 2025. This Japanese duo, only on their third tournament participation together, displayed incredible skill and determination, showcasing their potential in the badminton scene.
Having only teamed up recently, Sakuramoto and Igarashi made their debut at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2024 in November, starting from the qualifiers. Their impressive journey continued at India Open 2025, where they commenced by triumphing over the 9th-ranked pair in the world, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela from Indonesia, in the opening round. Subsequently, they faced the 2nd-ranked Liu/Tan pair and emerged victorious, displaying their prowess and resilience on the court.
The Chinese badminton players have consistently dominated the semi-finals in recent tournaments, reaching at least 14 out of 16 semi-final matches, with their last quarter-final clash at VICTOR China Open in September 2024. However, the Japanese duo remained unfazed by this trend, relying on Igarashi's powerful smashing style and Sakuramoto's left-handed shot angles to maintain pressure on the Chinese opponents ultimately securing a win with a score of 21-15, 21-19.
Sakuramoto expressed the significance of their victory, stating, "We are a new pair, and we have played a few matches together. Beating a higher-seeded pair is meaningful for us." She highlighted Igarashi's aggressive playing style as a key asset, adding, "Not many female doubles players are as aggressive and powerful as Arisa, so that is our strength."
Formerly known as Arisa Higashino, Igarashi mentioned the adjustments she had to make from mixed doubles to women's doubles, emphasizing the varying pace requirements, "The speed is different. In mixed doubles, you need to maintain a high speed constantly, but in women's doubles, there are times when you need to slow down and times to speed up. We haven't had much time together and trained together. Today, luck played a significant role."
The impressive performance of Ayako Sakuramoto and Arisa Igarashi at India Open 2025 signals a promising future for this newly formed Japanese pair in the world of badminton. Their victory against strong contenders highlights their potential and determination, setting a significant milestone in their career trajectory.