Top 5 female players to watch out for in the BWF World Tour Finals

#4 Akane Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi's tenacity won her this title last year

The other Japanese to grace this tournament this year is last year’s winner (it was called the Super Series Final then) Akane Yamaguchi. Her diminutive appearance is highly deceptive. She too, just like her compatriot Okuhara, is blessed with an incredible stamina which was truly evident last year when she defeated PV Sindhu in the final after a marathon match featuring several excruciatingly long rallies.

While playing against a tall player like Sindhu may create greater challenges for her, she has enough competence in her shot-making abilities to compensate for that. Again like her compatriot, she doesn’t have the set of super-skills that Tai Tzu Ying possesses but doesn’t lack much else.

She plays in a steady manner and likes to have long rallies. Being the defending champion would make give her extra motivation and Yamaguchi never lets go of an opportunity without giving an almighty fight.