Brian Yang claimed his first big-name victim in a while as he fought to a three-game win over Loh Kean Yew to make the second round of the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2026.

The Canadian, who has struggled to find form on the World Tour over the last year, last beat a top 10 player in January, at the India Open. Against the Singaporean world No.13, Yang kept his composure through an uneven third game, shaking off a mini-comeback by Loh to close it out 21-17 18-21 21-18.

“Of course, we all know that Loh Kean Yew is a really talented player. So coming into today’s match, I think the pressure was more on him, he’s the higher seed, so that kind of helped me win today’s match,” said Yang. “I was able to play more patient, not too rushed, especially because this arena is really big, it’s hard to kill the shuttle. So patience is key.”

Yang admitted his form had been scratchy, mainly due to a lack of confidence in the endgame.

“Overall, it’s a bit below-par, there’s some ups and downs, a kind of a rough patch for me right now, just trying to take what’s good and leave what isn’t working.

“It’s been a lot of trial and error and a lot of ups and downs, but, hopefully in the near future, I can find my feeling and get better results.

“I think confidence is a big part of it, and also just that endgame kind of dealing with the pressure, dealing with what’s going on. Mentality is a huge part of sport, especially badminton, being able to deal with that is important.

“So it’s a big win against a good player, and I think that’s much needed for me in this time, so hopefully I can build on that.”

Buhrova Dashes Home Hopes

Polina Buhrova staged a remarkable come-from-behind effort to upstage local hope Riko Gunji.

The Ukrainian, trailing 10-15 and 16-19 in the third, clung on and erased the deficit before taking the match on her second match point.

“Of course I’m happy that I could fight until the end. But many opportunities were wasted, I would say. But I’m really happy to come back as a winner.

“It was a bit weird when we went on court and everyone was shouting for her, and then when I was making the points, there was silence. But I always enjoy it here because this is my team’s place, with Team Yonex, so I always enjoy playing in this arena.

“I’m really happy that I could play a good match because we were preparing for this match with my coach telling that it must be a good practise for me and I was just trying to do my strokes, try to use my new footwork and new skills that I’ve been working on. I’m really happy that I could follow the instructions of my coach even if she was not with me this time unfortunately. I was doing the stuff needed, not always, so we could see some gaps in the game. So still not perfect. It’s never perfect, but we are always trying to reach perfection. So of course I’m happy, but many things remain to work on, and let’s see the next round.

Other Highlights

» Thailand’s Hathaithip Mijad/Napapakorn Tungkasatan, who only made the main draw due to a late withdrawal, had top seeds Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning in their sights before the opportunity slipped.

» There were a couple of upsets in the morning session, with No.4 seed Jonatan Christie falling to rising star Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, and Ratchanok Intanon crashing out to Sim Yu Jin.

→Results (Day 1)