I am very happy to read all the postings here and be updated about how Japanese players are progressing. I must say I am also a supporter of Nozomi Okuhara but I suppose she made some bad choices when playing with Akane Yamaguchi who is also a very powerful player. Yes, Nishimoto appears to have improved but it is up to him how far he is determined to go. Momota's is great as usual. For me, it is always enjoyable to see Momota play especially when he is at his best. It is a pity Richii Takeshita is out. I think he plays well. Thanks for all the postings about Japanese players.
I heard a rumour about Ueda's retirement, isn't true? Still can't get it: Natsuki Nidaira (Swiss Open runner up) is out, but Asuka Takahashi (no offense, but she didn't even have an achievement) is still in. FukuYona is out, but Aratama/Watanabe is still in.
The All Japan Championships were absolutely thrilling. Where can you see so much world-class talent for an arena seat costing a mere 3,000 yen? If it weren't for the hefty shinkansen price and exorbitant hotel rates... The site of the tournament, the Komazawa Olympic Park Gymnasium, actually hosted wrestling in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics... but it worked for badminton, too. In contrast to the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, the venue of the Japan Open and next Olympics, it was well-lit, cozy, and there was a feeling of "oneness" between audience and players, ... until the Momota v Nishimoto match, that is. Suddenly the scene became surreal: There was an unnatural stillness, oppressive atmosphere, and the only sign of life emanated from the movement on Court 1. All this dissipated again once Yamaguchi and Nozomi appeared for the ensuing match. So, here go my glib impressions: A. Saturday, December 1 This day went by in a blur... Lots of one-sided matches, with the one match I wanted to see most being cancelled.. Urghh. But it wasn't a no-show. Momota was clearly visible in the stands, alternating between checking out Nishimoto's form, and playing with his smart-phone. He was accompanied by what looked like an NTT-East guardian (body-guard), but this precaution was probably unnecessary. Momota has such stature as a badminton player now, that nobody would dare to approach him anyway. I think we need to start calling him Momota-senshu. As far as WS was concerned, Takahashi Sayaka was really disappointing. She looked defeated from the start, and never got a foot in against Yamaguchi. Despite the score-line, Urushizaki did better against Okuhara. She is extremely light on her feet and apt at rallying, although her slight frame prevents her from generating much in the way of power. It is going to be interesting to see how she develops on National Team B. B. Sunday, December 1 With so many top-class players congregating this day turned out to be a real treat!! 1. Watanabe/Higashino v Hoki/Nagahara: This match was actually really difficult to call. Until the last quarter of both G1 and G2, both pairs were neck-and-neck, and I feel that Hoki/Nagahara lost due to their inexperience as a pair more than anything. Whilst Nagahara may not produce much of a jumping smash, she does have a height advantage, and she used it effectively. 2. Fukushima/Hirota v Takahashi/Matsutomo: Well, FukuHiro, with their rock solid defence and pair-work, clearly dominated this match. Takahashi's smashes simply could not penetrate that wall, and Matsutomo did not seem to contribute much at all, ... except errors. 3. Momota v Nishimoto: Despite the scoreline, this was a convincing victory for Momota. In both games 1 and 3, he displayed his very best. He left the audience dumbstruck, and had a confounded Nishimoto scrambling all around the court. G2 saw Nishimoto finding his pace somewhat, and Momota was obviously too eager to try and finish the match in two games. But by G3, Momota had regained his composure, and Nishimoto was powerless to do anything. 4. Yamaguchi v Okuhara: This was an interesting contrast in styles. Okuhara is obviously an intelligent player. She has a clear image of how wants to play each point, and possesses good shot variation. But, she, too, hit a brick wall. Yamaguchi appears to have a much simpler game; but her speed across the court, and the speed, power, and low, deep course of her smashes proved extremely effective. Okuhara was unable to counter, and ended up making more and more errors. What probably rubs salt in the wound here is that whilst Okuhara made it clear from the outset that she was out to win this Championship, Yamaguchi's stated aim was not to be too intent on winning, but instead, to enjoy herself. 5. Sonoda/Kamura v Endo/Watanabe: Sonoda/Kamura dominated through their speed-game here, with Endo/Watanabe looking error-prone. Actually, Watanabe sometimes appears to have difficulty controlling his temperament, although this will probably become manageable as he gains more experience. Whatever the case, I am glad to see the two pairs who were displaced from the BWF Tour Finals able to convincingly demonstrate their superiority.
Will Hoki/Naga be a permanent pair? They looked really good, especially for a new combo! I think they can be one of the top MXD by this time next year.
Okuhara will quit Unisys next January and play as an independent player. https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20181205-00000081-dal-spo
From the M&Q Thailand Masters, there are several Japanese players. I suspect that they will be placed in Team B because the tournament is lower graded one. Among the players including Igarashi, Mitani, Kawakami, Mine, Matsuyama/Shida, Aratama/Watanabe.
Well, this confirms that the MS A Team for 2019 comprises Momota, Nishimoto, Tsuneyama, and Sakai, and that the WS team will feature Yamaguchi, Okuhara, Takahashi, and Ohori. No surprises at all, as far as singles are concerned. The XD entries, however, suggest that the A and B teams in this category haven't been determined yet.
I was surprised that Ohori was still on team A. How can that be ? Let's give opportunities to young new players
I dont think Japan has potential young new players for replacing Ohori, she isnt isnt good enough but the best choice can be
Is Kawakami not young? How young does one have to be these days to still be considered young? I think the Ratchanoks and Yamaguchis are the exceptions rather than the rule.
this is professional sports not high school. you want to be on team a? earn it by beating the athletes above you.
There is no other players that perform better than her. Looking at this year's result, Ohori is better than Kawakami. If anything, Ohori is the best choice from all of the other players. Why give the much lower ranked young new players to team A? It's really useless because these players can't compete at higher tournaments.
How about the quota of Team A this year? Will they still have 5 playerss for single categories and 4 pairs for double categories?
The full national team criteria can be found in message #560 above. Team composition is as follows: 2019 National Team 1) National Team A: 24 players (12 men, 12 women) MS/WS: 4 players each MD/WD: 4 pairs each (with MD/WD players able to double up as XD players) 2) National Team B: 24 players (12 male, 12 female) MS/WS: 6 players each MD/WD: 3 pairs each (with MD/WD players able to double up as XD players) 3) National Team Mixed Doubles: 3 pairs
The S/J League season was launched today. In the bout between Hokuto Bank and San-in Godo Bank, Kawakami was defeated (0-2) by Urushizaki, probably justifying the latter's inclusion, as of 2019, in the national team. And, it was Takahashi Sayaka, not Okuhara, who filled the singles' slot in the match between Unisys and Gifu Tricky Panders, the latter probably wanting to prepare for the BWF Tour Finals. I wonder whether Okuhara will play for Unisys at all in this, her last month with the team. The results of today's S/J matches can be seen at http://preview.sj-league.jp/#/result (Japanese only).
I googled and watched a few of Urushizaki Mako's matches. Yes, I think she is good. She is an attacking player and many of her shuttle control and strategic placements are very good as long they are executed correctly and don't land outside or under the net. Smashes not so strong in the matches I watched but ... fast aggressive placings and dangerous drop shots. I am surprised she is not ranked higher in bwf. Maybe she hasn't played many games in world tours yet. Hope to see her rising up.
Hi, today, I wrote a topic to my group (I have a group on facebook) in which I translated some Japanese names to Vietnamese names and the meanings of it. For example: Akane Yamaguchi = 山口 茜 = Rubia argyi plant on crater (mouth of mountain). But my friends doubt about it. So, is it true or not ? How many percent is correct ^-^ Btw, Okuhara Nozomi = 奥原 希望 = the deep hope in your heart ?
I wouldn't ascribe too much meaning to surnames. In Japan, before the mid-nineteenth century, the vast majority of Japanese nationals did not have a surname; this was a privilege reserved for the bushi (samurai and their families), who comprised only 10% of the population. With the advent of the Meiji Restoration, all Japanese acquired a surname, but this was typically derived from the type of location in which they lived. Hence, there are lots of geographic sounding types of names, including Yamaguchi (entrance of mountain/mountain range), Okuhara (in the depths of the field), Momota (peach field), etc. First names are more telling of parents' aspirations: Akane (茜) is both a plant (madder) and a shade of red. Nozomi (希望) means "hope". Kento (賢斗) is a combination of "clever" and a second kanji, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but was probably chosen for its phonetic reading, i.e., "to".
