Japan's world champion Nozomi Okuhara responded to her fans' expectations on Wednesday by setting up a rematch of her world championships final against India's Pusarla Sindhu in the women's singles at the Japan Open.

With her fans cheering her on at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, world No. 9 Okuhara, the bronze medalist at last summer's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, beat Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan Yi. Okuhara needed 40 minutes to beat the world No. 15 21-15, 21-13.

Cheung used quick shots to force Okuhara to run, but the local hero was up to the task, her speed allowing her to track down and return her opponent's shots.