The FISTF/JTFA Kanagawa International Open Tournament took place on July 13 in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Yamato City is a quiet residential area located about 45 minutes from central Tokyo stations such as Shinjuku and Shibuya by express train.
The tournament was held at the Yamato City Citizen Exchange Hub “PoLaRiS”.
The event featured two categories: Open and Women. A total of 16 athletes competed in the Open category, while 4 athletes participated in the Women category.
Although Japan’s top-ranked and third-ranked players did not compete in this tournament, all participants were seasoned competitors with multiple appearances in international tournaments. As a result, the matches were highly competitive, with many closely contested battles throughout the event.
In the Open semifinals, Kenzo Koi (JPN / Yakohama OSC) secured a 1–0 victory over Suguru Fujino (JPN / Tokyo Sunzeol TFC) after a hard-fought overtime battle.
In the other semifinal, Stéphane Lambert (BEL / Yokoahma OSC) defeated Kazuki Okano (JPN / Yokohama OSC) with a score of 2–1.
The Open final ended in a 1–1 draw and was decided by shootout, where Stéphane Lambert emerged victorious with a 2–1 win in the shootout.
In the Women category, Miaki Nishi (JPN / SC Reeds) claimed the championship with a record of 2 wins and 1 draw.
Hideaki Wada (JPN / OSC Yamato Wild Blue TFC) won the Plate tournament.
We hope that each athlete will continue to train with even greater dedication and arrive at next month’s Japan Grand Prix in peak condition.
