Upsets reigned galore in this year's Japan Open, with 35% of all matches in the tournament being won by the lower ranked player/pair.
Last year this figure reached 29%, still above the norm for a world tour event, but it just goes to show the Japan Open is a competition for giant slayers!
In addition, among the best-of-7 matches there was a high margin of full length 7th set encounters. Over 20% went to the 7th!! That's well above average...
Perhaps the reason for this could be due to the wide open draw. With none of the leading Chinese players present, anyone could take the title, so nerves were high, and underdogs gave it their all.
We saw the closest match of the year so far on the world tour, in the open men's first round. Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong overcame Russia's Grigory Vlasov with scores 7-11, 5-11, 14-12, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 19-17
Also we were treated to a continuation of Japan's dominance at their home stop on the tour. This is the third year running where a Japanese player has won the Japan Open, last year in Kobe it was Jun Mizutani, and in 2011 also in Kobe Seiya Kishikawa (absent this year) was the champion. Clearly the home crowd played a part in spurring their heroes to victory. Ai Fukuhara's triumph in the final meant the drought is over for the land of the rising sun. Prior to this tournament no Japanese woman had won an open singles title on the World Tour since mid 2011.
Now we have to wonder if the formerly unknown Misato Shiono will continue his exponential rise to glory, he has decided to enter the US Open next month. Another challenge awaits, and we'll be watching.
