Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Hobara stepped onto the courts at TOYOTA Thailand Open 2025 as qualifiers, largely unheralded.

It was only their second tournament together, yet momentum was unmistakably on their side. After a semifinal finish at the Taipei Open just a week earlier, the Japanese duo surprised fans again – advancing to the Super 500 semifinals, a milestone neither had reached in their careers.

They did it in style, convincingly defeating world No.51 Indonesians Meilysa Trias Puspitasari and Rachel Allessya Rose 21-9 21-16 on Friday, just a day after ousting third seeds Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Pullela Gopichand also in straight games.

“I’m delighted with how things are going,” the 22-year-old Hirokami said, her eyes bright with satisfaction. “I’ve been doing my best learning from my senior and trying to contribute as much as I can.”

Their quickly-forged chemistry, built on mutual respect, has been the backbone of their run in Bangkok. Hobara, world junior champion in 2016 with Nami Matsuyama, said: “It feels good to be making progress. I’m pleased to have Rui as my partner.”

Hirokami added: “We are both very competitive and passionate. That’s one of our biggest strengths.”

Remarkably, their journey started in the qualifying rounds – no pair in any doubles discipline had made it this far from the very beginning since Porntip Buranaprasertsuk and Busanan Ongbamrungphan in 2013.

As they prepare to face top seeds Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, they remain grounded.

“We will focus on our own game and stick to our plan,” said Hirokami. “We want to give a solid performance and go for the best result.”

With their sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, could this be the beginning of something special?

“Hopefully, that’s our ultimate goal,” Hobara affirmed.