World number two Akane Yamaguchi advanced to the second round of the Kumamoto Masters Japan on Wednesday with a straight-game victory over Hina Akechi at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
Yamaguchi secured a 22-20, 21-10 win in 37 minutes to open her campaign at the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament. She holds the top seed in the women’s singles draw following the withdrawal of world number one An Se-young.
Yamaguchi entered the tournament as the highest-ranked player in the field after An opted not to compete in Kumamoto. China’s Wang Zhiyi occupies the second seed for the event.
Kumamoto Masters Japan 2026 WS – R32 22 21 🇯🇵Akane YAMAGUCHI🏅 20 10 🇯🇵Hina AKECHI 🕚 in 37 minutes
The Japanese player faced a tight opening game against Akechi, who reached the semifinals at the recent Korea Open. Yamaguchi edged the first game 22-20 before taking control in the second to win 21-10.
The tournament comes just days after Yamaguchi faced An in the final of the Korea Open on Sunday. Yamaguchi lost that match 21-12, 15-21, 21-16, extending her losing streak against the South Korean star to 11 matches.
The defeat in Korea also marked Yamaguchi’s sixth loss to An in a tournament final. Speaking after that match, Yamaguchi addressed the recurring results against the world’s top-ranked player.
“The result is of course disappointing,” Yamaguchi said, according to OSEN. “Because An Se-young is so strong, I rarely win against her. Ultimately, I think it cannot be helped.”
Yamaguchi advances to face her next opponent in the round of 16 on Thursday.
