Following her first-round elimination at the BWF Super 500 Japan Masters, Nozomi Okuhara reflected on her performance, stating she has yet to fully adapt to competitive play due to insufficient match practice. Seeded 37th globally, Okuhara battled Indonesian sixth seed Gregoria Mariska Tunjung for 46 minutes, narrowly losing 19-21, 19-21 in the women’s singles round of 64.
In a post-match interview, Okuhara acknowledged that while she felt her form was returning, it remains insufficient to compete at the highest level. She emphasized the need to rediscover her distinctive playing style, despite her notable run at the World Championships in August—where she defeated top players like PV Sindhu and Ratchanok Intanon before falling to An Se-young in the quarterfinals. Okuhara admitted to struggling with hesitation and inconsistent shots during matches, noting that adjustments came too slowly in the second set. She expressed hope to use this experience as a catalyst to accumulate experience and address technical issues moving forward. When asked about physical condition, Okuhara revealed a knee injury sustained during September’s Kaohsiung Challenger in China, which has not fully healed. She mentioned that excessive training leads to swelling, complicating her current preparation.
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