Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto continued their impressive rise at the LI-NING China Masters 2026, reaching their first Super 750 semifinal with a hard-fought 19-21, 21-13, 21-18 win over Benyapa and Nuntakarn Aimsaard.
The Japanese duo’s partnership is still in its infancy—China marks just their seventh tournament together. Since teaming up at the All England in March (quarterfinals) and finishing runners-up at the Malaysia Masters in May, Hirota and Sakuramoto have been steadily building chemistry and confidence.
Their latest breakthrough required both patience and resilience. “In the first game, our attacking patterns weren’t quite clicking,” Hirota explained. “From the second game, we made a slight adjustment, carefully waiting for and targeting the shots our opponents set up.”
For Hirota, a former world No.1 returning after nearly two years away due to knee injuries, this new partnership is a fresh start. Sakuramoto, who previously reached the world’s top ten with other partners, believes their communication has become their biggest asset: “The final game was really close… the reason we were able to win was because we communicated with each other and covered one another.”
With every match, their combination grows stronger. “With each match we play, our combination and patterns are getting better,” Hirota said. “Unless we play many more matches, we won’t be able to develop that strength.”
The pair remain ambitious, determined to reach the level of the elite: “There are still many areas we need to improve. We really want to reach a level where we can compete on equal terms with the elite pairs,” Hirota added.
For now, Hirota and Sakuramoto’s journey is gathering real momentum in Shenzhen.
