Ozaki awaits as Kawai among Olympic medalists set to return for Meiji Cup

Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - 00:00 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (June 14) -- While the cats who hauled in the medals for Japan at the Tokyo Olympics were away, the mice were not only playing, but showing they could be world-beaters as well.

Most of Japan's Olympic medalists, including three of the five who won golds, will be returning to action for the first time since the Tokyo Games at this week's Meiji Cup All-Japan Invitational Championships, and most will be facing stiff challenges from wrestlers who filled the global gaps in their absences.

The sparks will particularly be flying in the women's competition, in which one weight class could see a showdown between the Olympic and world champions (Yui SUSAKI and Remina YOSHIMOTO at 50kg) and other between the Olympic champion and a world medalist (Yukako KAWAI and Nonoka OZAKI at 62kg).

One potential clash of the titans was put on hold when the Tokyo gold medalist moved up a weight class. Teenaged world champion Akari FUJINAMI will put her 97-match winning streak on the line in a quest to defend her 53kg title, but she won't have to contend with Mayu SHIDOCHI (formerly MUKAIDA).

Shidochi, the Olympic champion and 2021 newlywed, is entered at 55kg, the weight class in which she won world titles in 2016 and 2018. Among her competition, there will be newly crowned Asian champion Umi IMAI.

Fujinami, now a freshman at Nippon Sports Science University, will likely have her toughest competition in two-time former world champion Haruna OKUNO and 2019 world 55kg silver medalist Nanami IRIE, both of whom she has already beaten twice.

The Meiji Cup, to be held June 16-19 at Tokyo's Komazawa Gym, is the second of Japan's two qualifying tournaments for this year's World Championships in Belgrade. Winners at the Emperor's Cup All-Japan Championships held last December who triumph at the Meiji Cup automatically earn tickets to Serbia; if the champion is different, a playoff will be held at the end of that day's action.

None of Japan's Olympic medalists -- and only one of the 12 Olympic team members --competed at the Emperor's Cup, meaning the majority will have to win the Meiji Cup title and the subsequent playoff to go to the World Championships.

The tournament will mark the first time in three years that family members, teammates and spectators will be allowed, as the Japan federation had maintained strict protocols throughout the pandemic. The number of daily infections has been steadily decreasing, and the Japanese government has this month reopened the door to foreign tourists.

The two Tokyo gold medalists who the fans will have to wait to see again are women's 57kg champion Risako KAWAI and freestyle 65kg titlist Takuto OTOGURO, neither of whom are entered.

Kawai, who like Mukaida got married soon after her Tokyo triumph, gave birth to her first child in May, and is eyeing a return at this year's Emperor's Cup in December. An inquiry to Otoguro's Japan Self-Defense Forces team for a reason for his absence went unanswered.

Yukako KAWAI (JPN) is set to return to action for the first time since the Tokyo Olympic Games. (Photo: UWW / Gabor Martin)

The fans, however, will be treated to the return of the other half of the golden Kawai sisters, and Yukako could feature in the match of the tournament if she and 19-year-old defending champion Ozaki clash as expected at 62kg. The two have never faced each other.

Ryo KANEHAMA, Kawai's coach at Suntory Beverage, said that Kawai restarted full-time training about a month after the Olympics and is well prepared for the Meiji Cup. "She has returned to top shape," he said. "About the same level as for the Olympics."

Asked what will be the key point in facing Ozaki, Kanehama replied, "Not allowing her to get her ankles [for a lace lock]. If she gets the ankles, that will lead to big points, so first of all she has to prevent her from using that technique."

On their feet, Kanehama says it's a toss-up between the two. "Until they face each other, we won't know. Ozaki has a really good low single, so the main point will be how well Kawai can keep her from grabbing her leg."

Ozaki, who won consecutive world U17 titles in 2018 and 2019, is coming off a confidence-boosting victory at the Asian Championships in April in Ulaanbaatar, where she beat Olympic silver medalist Aisuluu TYNYBEKOVA (KGZ) in the final to avenge a first-round loss to her at 2021 World Championships.

Last year in Oslo, Ozaki jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Tynybekova, only to see the Kyrgyz star storm back for a 6-4 victory. Ozaki battled back through the repechage to take the bronze in her international senior debut, while Tynybekova won the gold.

Assessing Ozaki's matches with Tynybekova, who has been a longtime nemesis of Kawai, Kanehama observed, "At the World Championships, as I think Ozaki also believes, she made a mistake in strategy. At the recent Asian Championships, I think she reflected on that and used it in her wrestling. She wrestled smart, and I think that shows her progress."

The possible match between Kawai and Ozaki is generating wide interest, and Kanehama is no exception. Asked if he's looking forward to it, he replied, "Sure, they have to eventually face each other somewhere. Heading to the Olympics, it will have to be decided sometime. That day is going to come."

Yui SUSAKI (JPN) will lace her boots up for the first time since outscoring her opponents 41-0 en route to the 50kg Olympic gold medal. (Photo: UWW / Kadir Caliskan)

The other titanic clash could come at 50kg between Susaki and Yoshimoto, although Susaki has to be regarded as the favorite in that one. Susaki, a recent graduate of Waseda University who can now train full-time under corporate sponsorship, defeated Yoshimoto in their two previous encounters, most recently a close 2-1 win at the 2019 Junior Queens Cup.

But Yoshimoto, a senior at Shigakkan University, has made great strides in recent years, as seen in her performance at last year's World Championships, where she reeled off four straight wins by fall or technical fall before beating Olympic bronze medalist Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA) 5-3 in the final. She was even more dominant at the Asian Championships.

How sharp Susaki will be after her long layoff could determine the outcome.

Meanwhile, Tsugumi SAKURAI has since moved up to 57kg from 55kg, the weight class in which she won the gold in Oslo, as she aims to eventually thwart Risako Kawai's attempt to win a third straight Olympic gold. Sakurai won the Emperor's Cup in December, defeating world bronze medalist Sae NANJO in the final, and a rematch looks likely.

World champion Masako FURUICHI has returned to 72kg after an unsuccessful outing at 68kg at the Emperor's Cup. She could face a showdown with Emperor's Cup champion Sumire NIIKURA, who won a silver medal at the Asian Championships in her first-ever international competition.

Japan's top cat in Greco-Roman, Olympic silver medalist Kenichiro FUMITA, returns as he looks to earn a shot at a third career world title at 60kg. Nicknamed by the Japanese press as the "Cat Wrestler" for his backbone flexibility and love for felines, he will be gunning for his fourth career Meiji Cup title and first since 2019.

Waiting in the wings will be Ayata SUZUKI, who won his second straight Asian bronze medal in April. The two train together at their alma mater Nippon Sports Science University and met in the final of the 2020 Emperor's Cup, with Fumita coming away with a 2-1 victory.

Suzuki won last year's Emperor's Cup, meaning that Fumita will have to beat him in a playoff to earn a ticket to Belgrade. "This time with the Olympics over, Fumita might not be at his sharpest," Suzuki told the Japan federation website. "So I think I have a chance."

At 77kg, Shohei YABIKU will have to perform under the new-found pressure that comes with being an Olympic bronze medalist. As Emperor's Cup champion Kodai SAKURABA is skipping the tournament due to injury, Yabiku can secure a place on the world team outright with a victory.

His main competition will likely come from Nippon Sports Science University's Nao KUSAKA, the Emperor's Cup runner-up and a double collegiate champion.

At 55kg, world champion Ken MATSUI would like nothing better than to have a chance to avenge his humiliating defeat in the Emperor's Cup final to Yu SHIOTANI, who won a second straight Asian gold in Ulaanbaatar.

Shiotani tossed Matsui around like a rag doll, scoring consecutive five-point throws in an 11-0 technical fall in 1:42.

World 63kg bronze medalist Kensuke SHIMIZU, the nephew of a former Olympic speed skating gold medalist, has moved up to 67kg after failing to medal at the Asian Championships. He could clash with Emperor’s Cup champion Katsuaki ENDO, who won a bronze medal at 67kg in Ulaanbaatar.

In freestyle, the weight class to watch will be 61kg, which looks to come down to a rematch of the Emperor's Cup final between 2020 Asian bronze medalist Ryuto SAKAKI and Rio Olympic silver medalist Rei HIGUCHI. Sakaki won that encounter 4-0, but much has changed since then.

Higuchi has rebounded well from his calamitous bid to make the Tokyo Games that was scuttled when he failed to make weight at 57kg for the Asian qualifying tournament. When an injury kept Sakaki out of the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Higuchi stepped in and came away with the 61kg gold, capped by a 46-second win in the final. It was his first major international title since winning the 2018 world U23 gold at 65kg.

Sakaki, the 2017 world 58kg U17 champion, skipped the East Japan college league tournament in April due to injury, so it remains to be seen how effective he will be against the high-flying Higuchi.

Japan's other freestyle Asian champion, the somewhat eccentric Taishi NARIKUNI, will look to make his first senior World Championships by adding the Meiji Cup title at 70kg to his inaugural Emperor's Cup triumph from last December.

Narikuni, whose mother was a two-time world champion and runs the kids club where he started the sport, has been an outlier of sorts in Japan, as he prefers to focus his training mostly in the weight room instead of on the mat. He harbors a bold dream of someday winning world titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Narikuni won the Asian title when he came back from a 1-3 deficit in the final to defeat world silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) 4-3.

Also worth watching is veteran Sohsuke TAKATANI, who is making his first Meiji Cup outing since 2019. The three-time Olympian was the only member of the Tokyo 2021 squad to compete at the Emperor's Cup, where he moved up from 86kg and won the 92kg crown -- his 11th straight title over four weight classes.

He has entered again at 92kg and will be aiming for his fourth straight Meiji Cup title and sixth in seven years. Takatani was a 2014 world silver medalist at 74kg.

Takatani will be looking to repeat a sibling double with younger brother Daichi, the Emperor's Cup champion at 74kg who won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships.

Among the entries at 86kg is Mao OKUI, who has made a big jump up in weight classes after placing fifth at the 2019 World Championships at 74kg. That earned a place for Japan at the Tokyo Olympics, but Okui failed to fill it himself when he lost to Keisuke OTOGURO, Takuto's older brother, in a playoff for the spot.

At 57kg, Toshihiro HASEGAWA, a 2021 world bronze medalist at 61kg, will be looking to follow up his victory at the Emperor's Cup and return to the World Championships at the Olympic weight. Aiming to stop him will be Yuto TAKESHITA and Rikuto ARAI, Asian bronze medalists in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

This year's Meiji Cup will also be unique in that the federation has taken the rare move of charging a nominal admission fee for general fans. This is likely due to the combination of the Olympic medalists returning to the mat and the fact that this will be the first event fans can see live in such a long time.

A Japan federation official said the last time he can recall tickets being sold for a wrestling tournament was in 2007, when Norifumi "Kid" YAMAMOTO, who had become a popular mixed martial arts competitor, returned to freestyle wrestling at the All-Japan Championships in a bid to make the Beijing Olympics.

The tournament ended for the older brother of multi-world champions Miyu and Seiko YAMAMOTO when he suffered a dislocated elbow 16 seconds into his second-round match at 60kg and lost by fall.

Schedule

June 16 (Thursday)

FS 65kg-79kg; GR 63kg-97kg-130kg; WW 59kg-68kg-76kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
13:00 - 14:00 Semifinals
14:00 - 15:45 Repechage
15:45 - 16:15 3rd-Place Finals
16:15 - 17:35 Finals

June 17 (Friday)

FS 61kg-74kg-125kg; GR 67kg-72kg-87kg; WW 57kg-65kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
12:30 - 13:30 Semifinals
13:30 - 15:15 Repechage
15:15 - 15:45 3rd-Place Finals
15:45 - 17:05 Finals

June 18 (Saturday)

FS 70kg-86kg-92kg-97kg; GR 55kg-82kg; WW 53kg-72kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
12:30 - 13:30 Semifinals
13:30 - 15:15 Repechage
15:15 - 15:45 3rd-Place Finals
15:45 - 17:05 Finals

June 19 (Sunday)

FS 57kg; GR 60kg-77kg; WW 50kg-55kg-62kg

10:00 - 12:30 1st round through quarterfinals
12:30 - 13:15 Semifinals
13:15 - 14:45 Repechage
14:45 - 15:05 3rd-Place Finals
15:05 - 15:30 Ceremony for return of Meiji Cup, etc.
15:30 - 16:50 Finals

*Playoff for World Championships team in weight classes between winners of Emperor's Cup and Meiji Cup will be held approximately one hour after the completion of that day's competition.

Watari Makes Emotional–and Victorious–Comeback from Cancer at Meiji Cup

Saturday, June 16, 2018 - 16:37 By Ken Marantz

TOKYO, Japan (June 16) - Emotions were running high when Rio WATARI stepped back onto the mat for a tournament, two years after beginning and eventually winning a grueling fight against cancer.

The tears of joy and relief flowed freely when she walked off as a champion.

Watari capped her remarkable recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma, winning the women’s 68kg title at the All-Japan Invitational Championships in Tokyo to earn a place on Japan’s team to the world championships in Budapest.

Watari added even more drama to the moment by scoring a decisive step-out point with :06 left in the final against Chiaki SEKI, giving her a 3-2 victory and her first title in the tournament, known as the Meiji Cup, since 2014.

Watari’s winning point came on her fourth tackle attempt. Her three previous ones were all stopped, and the only points scored by either wrestler had come on the activity clock, with Watari’s second giving her a 2-1 lead with :32 left.

But Seki, who had previously wrestled under her maiden name IIJIMA, went ahead on last-point criteria when her lone tackle attempt of the match forced out Watari to tie it at 2-2 with :24 remaining.

Watari, having come this far, wasn’t going to be denied, and she responded to the delight of the loud contingent of supporters from her sponsor, Aisin AW, in the Komazawa Gym stands.

“I went for it with the strong feeling that I would definitely win and go with the other champions from Shigakkan to the world championships,” Watari said, referring to her alma mater, powerhouse Shigakkan University, which will fill much of the women’s team to Budapest with current and alumni wrestlers.

Watari needed just two matches to win the gold. In her opening match---her first since the Rio 2016 Olympics—she scored a solid 7-0 victory over Shigakkan’s Mai HAYAKAWA to advance to the final.

“In the first match, even getting over my nervousness, my body was trembling, so much that I didn’t feel like myself,” the 26-year-old Watari said. “I couldn’t calm down and felt anxious. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to win the title if I go on like this.

“In the final, I believed in what I had done up that point and was determined to win. I was able to take up the challenge in a relaxed mood.”

Rio WATARI, 68kg champion. (Photo by Sachiko Hotaka)

Prior to her illness, Watari had already made nationwide headlines when she qualified for Rio. What made her case so special was that, in her intense desire to win an Olympic medal, she went up two weight classes, from 63kg to 75kg. She reportedly gained 12 kgs by eating five meals a day.

Her lymphoma was diagnosed just before the Olympics, but she managed to compete anyway. She does not use the illness as an excuse for her disappointing one-point loss to Aline da Silva FERRIRA (BRA). After returning to Japan, her condition was made public and, as it worsened, she began chemotherapy and other treatment.

“At the Olympics, while I fought with the decision about whether or not to compete, I kept practicing and was able to participate,” Watari said. “After that, my life fighting the illness began. I was bedridden much of the time, and often felt dizzy while standing. With every passing day I wondered if I would ever be able to return to wrestling.”

From last September, she started walking, riding a bicycle and little by little getting the “body of a normal person.” After being limited to basic exercising, she returned to the wrestling room in January.

“If I take my condition before the Olympics as 100 percent, I’m still far away in terms of physical strength,” she said. “I still can’t go all out until the end of practice. I would put it at 50 percent.”

Watari made it directly onto the team to Budapest because world and Olympic gold medalist Sara DOSHO, the 68kg winner at the All-Japan Championships (called the Emperor’s Cup), suffered a shoulder injury at the Women’s World Cup in March that kept her out of the Meiji Cup.

The winners of the Emperor’s and Meiji Cups in each weight class, if different, will meet in a playoff on July 7 for berths on the team to Budapest, and Dosho will not be available for the playoff either.

For Watari, her remarkable comeback does not erase the sting of her defeat in Rio. During her post-match press conference, she broke down when asked about the support she received from her parents during her battle with cancer.

“I wasn’t able to win at the Olympics and bring back a medal to show them,” she said through tears, her way of saying that the best way she can repay them is to strike gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“It’s not yet the Olympics, so this doesn’t erase what happened in Rio,” she said. “I have to think about how far I can go at 68kg, and with the Olympic qualifying coming up, what weight class is best for me. This victory and making the world team becomes a good step toward the Olympics.”

Still, having gone through a deadly disease makes her more appreciative of the time she spends on the mat and allows her to bear the rigors necessary to achieve success.

“Right now, I’m having fun everyday in wrestling,” she said.

Shota TANOKURA secured his ticket to the world championships by winning the 55kg championship. (Photo by Sachiko Hotaka)

Asian champ Tanokura has eyes on world gold

In other action, Asian champion Shota TANOKURA put on his latest display of spectacular throws in storming to the Greco-Roman 55kg gold and securing his ticket to the world championships.

Tanokura followed up on his Emperor’s Cup triumph by posting two victories by technical fall before beating Shota OGAWA 7-0 in the final, gaining the bulk of his points with a front headlock throw.

It was Tanokura’s third Meiji Cup gold and first since 2015. He had retired after failing to make the Rio Olympics, with part of the reason being that he felt handicapped when the minimum weight class was raised to 59kg. He was soon overtaken by Olympic silver medalist Shinobu OTA and world champion Kenichiro FUMITA.

But the return of the 55kg weight class led to Tanokura’s return to the sport last year, although he continues to keep his job as a Tokyo high school physical education teacher.

His school obligations kept him from training as he would have preferred for the Meiji Cup, much to the chagrin of his coach.

“This tournament, after the Asian Championships [in Bishkek in February] and the final national camp, I honestly wasn’t able to train,” Tanokura said.

“Coach Shingo Matsumoto, a week before the tournament, said to me, ‘Dude, you’re not going to be able win like that.’ I was told I would have to go in with the mindset of a challenger, and that turned the switch on for me, even though it was a bit late.

Tanokura, a three-time Asian medalist, will get his first shot at a world medal, and has boosted his confidence by a second-place finish as the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov Tournament in Sofia in March.

“I competed once in Europe, and my impression is that Asian wrestlers are stronger than the Europeans in the lighter weights,” he said. “All that remains is to aim for the gold at the world championships.”

Yukako KAWAI, 62kg gold medalist. (Photo by Sachiko Hotaka)

Meanwhile, half of Japan’s top sister act all but secured her ticket to Budapest, as Yukako KAWAI captured the women’s 62kg title.

Kawai shed tears after her victory, but they were not of joy. She was dissatisfied by her performance in the final, in which she failed to score off an attacking move in posting a 4-1 win over Yurika ITO.

“I aimed for the title and I’m glad that I got it, but I couldn’t do anything I had practiced, so it’s very disappointing,” Kawai said. “I had worked on shooting for takedowns in practice, on responding to the opponent and consciously thinking not to get too high in my stance. I didn’t do the very basics.”

Kawai and older sister Risako KAWAI, a world and Olympic champion, have switched weight classes from the ones in which they won titles at the Emperor’s Cup. Risako has dropped from 62kg to 59kg.

That has set up what could be an interesting scenario. If Risako surprisingly fails to win the 59kg on the final day Sunday, it would ostensibly set up a playoff between the two for the 62kg berth. Yukako, however, said it won’t ever come to that.

“By winning at 59kg, there would be no playoff between us, so Risako said we should both win decisively and go to the world championships together.”

For Yukako, Budapest will give her a chance to make amends for last year’s world championships in Paris, where she failed to win a medal at 63kg. But to do that, she can’t repeat her performance from Saturday.

“The way I wrestled this time was no good,” she said. “At this point, I will lose right away like I did last year. I have to start over from the beginning.”

Yuhi FUJINAMI suffered a broken cheek bone and had to withdraw from the tournament. (Photo by Sachiko Hotaka)

Fujinami withdraws, puts fate into playoff

In a surprise, Yuhi FUJINAMI, a Paris 2017 bronze medalist at 70kg in freestyle, withdrew from the competition in the 74kg class, opting to put his fate on a return to the world championships on a playoff.

Fujinami suffered a broken cheek bone below his right eye when he was struck with an elbow during practice in early May. He wrestled in a pair of duel meets for Yamanashi Gakuin University, but protected the injury by not shooting for takedowns. He hopes to be fully recovered by the time of the playoff.

Fujinami told the press that he came to the decision on Sunday, in consultation with his family at the national junior high school championships as it was gathered in support of his younger sister Akari, who won a gold medal.

In Fujinami’s absence, Ken HOSAKA won the title with an 11-3 victory over teenager Yuto MIWA. In the semifinals, Hosaka needed a stepover with :03 left for the two points that gave him a 4-4 win over Ryuki YOSHIDA.

Fujinami and Hosaka will meet in the playoff, which will be a rematch of the Emperor’s Cup final, which Fujinami won by technical fall.

The other freestyle title up for grabs on Saturday, at 97kg, went to Naoya AKAGUMA, who rolled to a 9-0 victory in the final over Taira SONODA.

In the semifinals, Akaguma scored a late takedown for a 3-3 win over Emperor’s Cup winner Takeshi YAMAGUCHI, setting up a playoff between the two for the ticket to Budapest.

Asian silver medalist Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA (67kg) and Shohei YABIKU (77kg) in Greco-Roman, and Katsuki SAKAGAMI (57kg) in women’s wrestling all completed the national title double to grab places on the team to Budapest.

Results from Day 3

Freestyle

74kg (12 entries)
Gold – Ken HOSAKA df. Yuto MIWA, 11-3

Bronze – Hayato OGATA and Ryuki YOSHIDA

Semifinal – Yuto MIWA df. Hayato OGATA, 5-0
Semifinal – Ken HOSAKA df. Ryuki YOSHIDA, 4x-4

97kg (12 entries)
Gold – Naoya AKAGUMA df. Taira SONODA, 9-0

Bronze – Takeshi YAMAGUCHI and Hiroto NINOMIYA

Semifinal – Naoya AKAGUMA df. Takeshi YAMAGUCHI, 3x-3
Semifinal – Taira SONODA df. Hiroto NINOMIYA by Def.

Greco-Roman

55kg (10 entries)
Gold – Shota TANOKURA df. Shota OGAWA, 7-0

Bronze – Tomoya MARUYAMA and Hiromu KATAGIRI

Semifinal – Shota TANOKURA df. Tomoya MARUYAMA by TF, 8-0, 1:50
Semifinal – Shota OGAWA df. Hiromu KATAGIRI by TF, 10-2, 2:20

67kg (10 entries)
Gold – Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA df. Shogo TAKAHASHI by TF, 9-1, 4:17

Bronze – Daiki KOBAYASHI and Katsuyoshi KAWASE

Semifinal – Tsuchika SHIMOYAMADA df. Daiki KOBAYASHI by TF, 10-1, 2:07
Semifinal – Shogo TAKAHASHI df. Katsuyoshi KAWASE, 5-3

77kg (12 entries)
Gold – Shohei YABIKU df. So SAKABE, 2x-2

Bronze – Kenryu KUZUYA and Takeshi IZUMI

Semifinal – Shohei YABIKU df. Kenryu KUZUYA by TF, 8-0, 1:27
Semifinal – So SAKABE df. Takeshi IZUMI by Fall, 3:30 (5-3)

Women’s Wrestling

57kg (6 entries)
Gold – Katsuki SAKAGAMI df. Akie HANAI, 4-1

Bronze – Sae NANJO and Chiho HAMADA

Semifinal – Katsuki SAKAGAMI df. Sae NANJO, 8x-8
Semifinal – Akie HANAI df. Chiho HAMADA, 2-0

62kg (7 entries)
Gold – Yukako KAWAI df. Yurika ITO, 4-1

Bronze – Atena KODAMA and Honoka IMAGAWA

Semifinal – Yurika ITO df. Atena KODAMA by TF, 11-0, 4:09
Semifinal – Yukako KAWAI df. Honoka IMAGAWA, 4-0

68kg (5 entries)
Gold – Rio WATARI df. Chiaki SEKI, 3-2

Bronze – Miwa MORIKAWA and Mai HAYAKAWA

Semifinal – Chiaki SEKI df. Miwa MORIKAWA, 7-2
Semifinal – Rio WATARI df. Mai HAYAKAWA, 7-0

Ozaki awaits as Kawai among Olympic medalists set to return for Meiji Cup

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Watari Makes Emotional–and Victorious–Comeback from Cancer at Meiji Cup