KUALA LUMPUR – Tournament second-seeded mixed doubles pair, Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino, etched their names in the history of the Malaysia Open as the first-ever Japanese duo to claim victory in the category.
They defeated opponents Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun of South Korea, to whom they had previously suffered defeat in all three encounters.
The Japanese pair convincingly swatted away the challenge of their seventh-seeded opponents, securing a resounding 21-18, 21-15 victory in just 37 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
“The pressure is more on the opponents today, but of course, we focused on getting the win.
“This is a really good start for us as it is the first tournament of the year,” said the 26-year-old Watanabe.
Their success took a surprising turn as the formidable world number one pair from China, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, who had dominated the Malaysia Open in the past four editions, were ousted by Won-ho and Na-eun in the quarter-finals on Friday.
This unexpected development paved the way for Watanabe and Higashino to make history.
“I’m happy to create history here and want to create more history with my partner Watanabe,” said Higashino.
The duo credited their success to Jeremy Gan, the former Malaysia mixed doubles coach.
Higashino stated the role of communication in their triumph.
“He also looks at our strengths and helps us improve on our weaknesses. This is how we managed to win the title today,” he added. – January 14, 2024