Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran’s mid-season form showed no sign of relenting as they made their third straight final, beating top seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping in straight games.

It was an authoritative display by the Thais, whose partnership is just nine months old. In this period they’ve won the full range of HSBC BWF World Tour titles from Super 300 to Super 1000; after winning the Singapore Open and finishing runners-up at the Indonesia Open in May-June, they are now in the final of the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2025.

“This was our third time facing them, with one win and one loss leading up to today,” said Puavaranukroh. “It’s been a back-and-forth battle. We’ve made it a priority to thoroughly understand their strengths and develop strategies to counter them, especially since they’re a team we know we’ll be up against many times in the future. I truly believe that today, we were able to rise above and perform at a higher level than they did.

“In the first half of the second game, we were trailing 11–6. I took a moment to reflect on why we were conceding so many points. That reflection allowed us to regroup and apply what had worked well in the first game. By staying focused and making those adjustments, we were able to turn things around and come out with the win.”

There were no surprises elsewhere in the draw. The Thais take on another Chinese pair, Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin, who snuffed out Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei 21-12 21-16.

Highlights

» An Se Young made her sixth final from seven tournaments this year, with home hope Riko Gunji unable to challenge the Korean in a 21-12 21-10 rout. The top seed faces familiar rival Wang Zhi Yi, who beat four-time champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-15 21-18.

» Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan finally found a way past Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida after seven successive losses. The Malaysians earned only their second win from 15 matches overall, with a surprisingly one-sided 21-13 21-11 result and face defending champions Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning in the final.

» Malaysia can look forward to presence in the men’s doubles as well, with top seeds Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin one win away from defending their title. The Malaysians however will up against Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae, who have won all three Super 1000 titles this year.

» Another defending champion making his way to the final was Alex Lanier, who overcame Koki Watanabe 21-19 21-15. Lanier takes on the player he beat in last year’s semifinal, Shi Yu Qi, who survived a close second game against his compatriot Christo Popov, 21-12 28-26.

What They Said

“I’m really happy with my performance today. Beating Yamaguchi means a lot. It was a tough match, but this win gives me confidence. I’ve already played against An Se Young many times this year, and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s match.” – Wang Zhi Yi

“The opponents were really fast — both of them. They were so quick that we couldn’t even react in time. I think that was a strong point on their side.” – Nami Matsuyama

“Both of us were patient, and we focussed on the game, we didn’t want to rush and that helped us. We did communicate a lot and that has helped our gameplay. That’s more important than anything else.” – Pearly Tan

“I knew that it could be hard to beat him and that was the case. This gives me confidence, that I am able to keep the speed and not drop down. Tactically I can be way better, whereas in some periods I lost the tactics and the legs, to be honest. I said at the beginning that I’m trying to enjoy the moment and play my game, and it has worked well for me.” – Alex Lanier

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