The reigning champions, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran, moved on to the mixed doubles semi-finals of the US$475,000 (around 15.2 million baht) Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025 on Friday.
Top-ranked Thai players overcame fellow countrymen Phuwanat Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard with scores of 21-12 and 21-17 in the quarter-finals of the World Tour Super 500 tournament held at Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
The third-ranked duo Dechapol and Supissara will face Akira Koga and Misaki Matsutomo from Japan in their quest for a spot in the tournament’s final.
Dechapol and Supissara claimed victory in the 2024 tournament — their fourth competition as a pair, marking their initial World Tour championship.
Women’s singles contender Ratchanok Intanon, aiming for her second title of the year, advanced to the semifinals by defeating Wong Ling Ching from Malaysia with scores of 21-17 and 21-9 in the quarterfinals.
Third-seeded Ratchanok is set to compete against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, who eliminated another ranked player, No.8 Lin Hsiang-ti from Taiwan, with scores of 21-9 and 21-19.
Okuhara overcame the top seed and reigning champion Akane Yamaguchi in the prior match.
Nevertheless, the emerging talent Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul was eliminated in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The 21-year-old fell to sixth seed Kenta Nishimoto from Japan 15-21, 14-21, just one day after defeating second seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan.
In other matches on Friday, Indonesia’s fourth-seeded women’s player Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the 2023 champion, fought back to defeat Japan’s Asuka Takahashi with scores of 16-21, 21-14, 21-13, while Taiwan’s seventh seed Chiu Pin-chian also had to overcome a deficit to defeat her compatriot Huang Yu-hsun with results of 18-21, 21-15, 21-17.
In the men’s singles semi-finals, fourth seed Kodai Naraoka from Japan will compete against Wang Tzu-wei from Taiwan, while seventh seed Lakshya Sen of India will face Nishimoto, who defeated Panitchaphon.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
jasdooit 
Leave a comment