It hasn’t taken long for WTT Champions Yokohama 2025 to burst into life, with Lily Zhang pulling off a dramatic 3-2 victory over Doo Hoi Kem on Thursday morning (11-13, 13-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6). 

Before today’s match-up, Doo had emerged victorious in all 10 of their previous showdowns across all international events, and the former World No.7 would strike first in Yokohama.

An 11-13 win in the opener gave Doo the early momentum boost she was looking for, and things only continued to get better for the Hong Kong, China player, who set up three Game Point opportunities at 7-10 in the second.

If she could convert just one of those points, the match would surely be hers. However, Zhang would go on to completely flip the script, staging a timely response to salvage the second, and that would propel her to new heights. Playing with the wind in her sails, the American star seized the moment, firing on all cylinders to close out her first victory in the rivalry.

Information from WTT