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#3 Nozomi Okuhara
The defending champion enters this tournament as one of the favourites and with a victory at the Thailand Open behind her, she is carrying good form as well. Okuhara is undoubtedly one of the most tenacious players in the circuit, along with her compatriot Akane Yamaguchi. The 23-year-old showed her fighting skills in last year’s memorable final against PV Sindhu where she, at one stage, played out a rally containing more than 70 shots.
Watching her supple movements and smooth netplay is a treat to the eyes of any badminton enthusiast.
Unfortunately, she has been marred by injuries lately and hasn’t been able to sustain a great run of form, but with the Thailand Open victory behind her, she may be peaking just at the right time.
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