Walk in the park for Yamaguchi-inspired teen sensation from Japan

In a battle between teenagers, Tomoka Miyazaki, who acquired her speed after training alongside former World No 1, outplays India's Anupama Upadhyaya to enter quarterfinals
Tomoka Miyazaki during her game against Anupama Upadhyaya on Thursday
Tomoka Miyazaki during her game against Anupama Upadhyaya on ThursdayBAI
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NEW DELHI: In the late afternoon session, the local fans, who had thronged in large numbers, were turning up the volume at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall here. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, in action on Court 1, were their primary focus. Anupama Upadhyaya, the 19-year-old singles player from the country, also had a share of the attention in the ongoing India Open.

Anupama had all the intangible support, but she was reduced to collecting the shuttles for most part of the match. Up against Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki, who's a year younger to her, Anupama was simply no match for Miyazaki, a shuttler who has been exhibiting maturity beyond her years to undergo a meteoric rise in the women's singles category of the BWF circuit.

Despite being just 18, Miyazaki was not distracted one bit by the atmosphere surrounding her. At the onset, the Osaka-origin took her time to warm to the occasion and conceded some soft points. But once she found her tune, the gulf in class between the two teenagers was as clear as daylight. Like a seasoned veteran, Miyazaki was making Anupama play the chasing game, handing her a harsh lesson in the process. Miyazaki swiftly went on to end Anupama's misery, pocketing the match with a 21-6, 21-9 score-line in just 28 minutes.

Japan have some celebrated names in the women's singles category at the moment. Nozomhi Okuhara, Akane Yamaguchi, former world champions, are the two that spring to mind instantly. Miyazaki is reckoned by many to have sprung up from the same mould.

Having earned her right to wear the Japanese badge in international competitions, Miyazaki has had the opportunity to watch them from close quarters. That has only added to her talent. "The most important thing that helped me is playing with the best players, getting to train with the best players," Miyazaki said, after the win.

Yamaguchi, in particular, has had quite an impression on her. "I had watched her (Yamaguchi's) videos a lot and when I got to practice with her in person, the most surprising bit was her speed. The speed that I have now is due to her," the shutter noted.

In 2022, she had followed the footsteps of the senior duo to become the fourth player from Japan to capture the world junior girls' singles crown. Her spectacular rise is reflected in her rankings. At the start of 2023, she was No 430. And at present, she is an impressive No 11. She has had some noteworthy victories against some of the top guns including Yamaguchi and PV Sindhu along the way. She is mindful that she still has a long way to go. "I just want to play better and better. The event is not over yet and I want to go all the way. This is the only goal I have for now."

Zhi Yi Wang, the current World No 2, lies between Miyazaki and a spot in the semifinals.

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