Asuka Kanai (Karuizawa, JPN) lost
7-5 to
Satsuki Fujisawa (Kitami, JPN) in the Final of the ZEH-NOH Japan Curling Championship, held January 28 - February 5, 2023 in Kitami, Japan. To advance to the championship game, Kanai won
7-6 over
Ikue Kitazawa (Nagano, JPN) in the semifinals of the 2023 ZEH-NOH Japan Curling Championship in Kitami, Japan;
Kanai finished 5-3 in the 9-team qualifying round. . In their opening game, Kanai lost
15-4 to
Fujisawa, then responded with a
7-6 win over
Momoha Tabata (Sapporo, JPN). Kanai won
5-3 against
Rin Suzuki (Aomori, JPN), then won
7-5 against
Miori Nakamura (Aomori, JPN) and
11-3 against
Riho Zaikan (Hioshima, JPN). Kanai went on to lose
9-7 against
Honoka Sasaki (Kitami, JPN). Kanai responded with a
7-3 win over
Yumi Suzuki (Tokyo, JPN). Kanai went on to lose
11-8 against
Kitazawa in their final qualifying round match.
With their runner-up finish at the ZEH-NOH Japan Curling Championship, Kanai take home
24.750 world rankings points. Kanai move up 19 spots after posting a net gain of 23.471 points improving upon their best 7 results so far this season, ranking 44th overall with
75.654 total points on the
World Ranking Standings. Kanai ranks 40th overall on the
Year-to-Date rankings with
74.375 points earned so far this season.
