Anthony Sinisuka Ginting’s run at the BWF Japan Open 2025 ended early as he fell to local badminton star Naraoka Kodai in the first round on Wednesday, 16 July.
The Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist went down 21-13, 21-19 as he continues to struggle to regain his form this season, with his best result so far being a Round of 16 appearance.
Indonesia’s Ginting took the lead at the start of the match, but lost momentum once Naraoka evened the score at 3-3. From that point Naraoka ran off to dominate the game. The second was a tighter affair with Ginting and Naraoka within a point of each other for most of the game, but the Japanese athlete ultimately claimed the win over his Indonesian rival.
The two players have faced each other three times before Wednesday’s clash in Tokyo, with Ginting winning on all occasions.
Ginting’s exit from the BWF World Tour Super 750 event is the latest in top names being eliminated early. The men’s world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand was eliminated on the opening day of competition, with fourth seed and fellow Indonesian Jonatan Christie also crashing out.
The Japan Open is available to stream on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the Olympics app from the quarter-finals onwards (geographical restrictions apply).