Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon claimed the men’s and women’s singles titles at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025 badminton tournament on Sunday (16 November) with hard-fought victories in their final matches.
24-year old Naraoka won his first title in two years by outlasting compatriot Kenta Nishimoto 21-11, 10-21, 21-15 in one hour and 13 minutes inside the Prefectural Gymnasium in Kumamato, which was streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.
The world No. 10, whose last triumph came at the China Open in November 2023, steadied himself in the competitive all-Japanese final to secure a much-needed victory in his push for a place at the season-ending World Tour Finals.
Naraoka dominated the opening game before Nishimoto, ranked 13th, mounted a strong response to force a decider.
The third game turned into a physical battle, with Naraoka pulling away late to close out the win in the BWF Super 500 event.
AloJapan.com