Miyazaki Tomoka collapses against Akechi Hina in Korea Open upset
Japanese badminton star Miyazaki Tomoka suffered a surprising comeback defeat against compatriot Akechi Hina in the women’s singles round of 16 at the 2026 BWF World Tour Super 500 Korea Open. Playing at the Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Miyazaki fell 1–2 with set scores of 21–13, 21–23, and 8–21 on September 6. Entering the match with a dominant seven-match winning streak over Akechi and holding the world No. 7 ranking, Miyazaki initially controlled the pace by taking the opening game comfortably. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in a tightly contested second game that went to deuce before Akechi secured a 23–21 win.
Akechi Hina seizes control as the third game slips away
The decisive third game unraveled quickly for the higher-ranked player as Akechi completely took over the court. Badminton Spirit reported that Akechi maintained control after the intense second-game victory and noted that Miyazaki began to break down first as the score gap widened. The collapse limited Miyazaki to just eight points in the final frame, sealing the upset elimination after a 62-minute battle. Akechi, ranked No. 16 in the world, advanced to the quarterfinals to face South Korea’s An Se-young.
Pecah telor dari Tomoka, good job dik Hina 🔥 https://t.co/2WQXK7JSeg
An Se-young advances after quick win over Gunji Riko
With Miyazaki’s exit, the highly anticipated quarterfinal clash between the Japanese standout and South Korea’s top-ranked player was called off. World No. 1 An Se-young faced Japan’s Gunji Riko in her own round-of-16 match on the same day, dispatching the No. 20-ranked player 2–0 (21–7, 21–13) in just 37 minutes. The victory extended An’s consecutive win streak to 53 matches and pushed her international record to 69 wins against a single loss as she pursues her eleventh title of the season and a third straight Korea Open crown.
Media spotlight and popularity in South Korea
Spread reported that the Japanese athlete enjoyed immense popularity among South Korean fans, who frequently referred to her as the fairy of the Japanese badminton world due to her athletic profile and public reception. While local forecasts anticipated a high-profile showdown between An and Miyazaki in the tournament’s latter stages, Akechi’s comeback victory shifted the semifinal bracket to feature a contest between An Se-young and Akechi Hina instead.
Fourth actually, she was also SF at Thailand Open and Malaysia Masters S500 earlier the yr
YEOSU VICTOR Korea Open 2026 WS – QF 13 23 21 🇯🇵Hina AKECHI🥇 21 21 8 🇯🇵Tomoka MIYAZAKI 🕚 in 62 minutes
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