Yudai Okimoto celebrates after winning the men’s singles title of the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2025 on Sunday at the Ada gym.
Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.
HISTORY repeated itself on Tuesday as the Northern Marianas Open 2025 men’s singles finalists, Yudai Okimoto of Japan and Dae Heun Kim of South Korea, faced off in a rematch during the first round of the Century Insurance Saipan International 2025 — this time with Kim eliminated early as he fell to Okimoto in another three-game nail-biter at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
The headline match was surprisingly similar to last week’s finals, with Kim controlling the first game by gradually breaking down Okimoto’s defenses to reach match point first, 15-12.
However, after careful adjustments, Okimoto weaved his way through the cracks in Kim’s defenses with sheer grit and heart. The players exchanged leads several times before Okimoto came through clutch, scoring three consecutive points to secure the second game, 15-12.
Despite the size difference between the players, Okimoto stayed resilient, gained the upper hand early, and maintained a safe lead throughout the high-paced action to triumph 15-7, eliminating Kim from contention.
On a side note, more NMI players joined Kim in first-round eliminations.
NMI’s John Paul Delos Reyes bowed to Japan’s Keita Makino, 15-3, 15-0; Md Ratul Hossain lost to Malaysia’s Tan Yu Xiao, 15-7, 15-4; Andre Zapata fell to Malaysia’s Chee Hong Wei, 15-2, 15-4; and Joseph Paraiso was defeated by Canada’s Shaurya Gallaiya, 15-2, 15-3.
