Badminton News: Will Japanese men’s doubles pair, Takuro Hoki / Yugo Kobayashi be able to get back to their best form at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 from January 10-15 at Axiata Arena and defend their title?

Hockey/Kobayashi, who won the 2021 world championship in Huelva, Spain, struggled for consistency in the 2022 season.

They failed to defend their world championship title on home soil when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty of India.

The Japanese pair also failed to qualify for the group stage of the 2022 World Tour Finals in Bangkok after losing to Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia and Choi Sol Gyu/Kim Won Ho of South Korea. .

Hoki/Kobayashi’s disappointment was further heightened when they were defeated by Leo Rolly/Daniel Marthin of Indonesia in the first round of their home tournament at Japan Open 2022.

Their inconsistent performances took them from world No. 1 to world No. 4 in the latest world rankings.

Despite their poor form, Hoki/Kobayashi ended the year with two titles namely Malaysia Open and Thailand Open 2022.

The Japanese pair will now be looking to defend their title and start their year off with great excitement.

However, they face a tricky opening match against Taiwan Olympic champion Lee Yang/Wang Chi Lin.

The Taiwanese pair are also struggling to replicate the form that saw them win Olympic gold in 2021 and drop to 12th in the world rankings.

If Hoki-Kobayashi passes Lee Yang-Chi-lin, they will face South Korean Kang Min-hyuk/Seo Seung-jae (#18) or Indian MR Arjun-Dhruv Kapila (#21) in the second round.

A potential quarter-final clash against Indonesia’s world No. 2 duo Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan could await them if they overcome their hurdles in the second round.

Article tags: Takuro Hockey, Yugo Kobayashi, Malaysian Open 2023

Published by Ligaolahraga.com at https://www.ligaolahraga.com/badminton/hokikobayashi-ready-pertahankan-gelar-malaysia-open-2023