Friend making friends

“I really love playing with him. He makes the game so fun and less stressful, bringing out the top side of me, and he also has a strong ball strike.”

Japan’s Natsuki Yoshimoto was quick to praise her teammate Jay Friend after their 6-1, 6-4 mixed doubles semifinal victory against Czechia at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games tennis tournament on Thursday, 24 July.

Friend, a student of business and economics at University of Arizona in the United States was born to a New Zealand father and a Japanese mother. His passion and dedication to tennis – and to play for Japan – is exemplary.

When asked why Japan, his response was clear: “I am so happy to represent Japan, and I love my teammates. In this competition I have made friends for a lifetime.”

“I have a tournament in Hagen, which is nearby, it starts on Tuesday. So it’s a way to prepare and to get in shape for that tournament. Hopefully we win the final.”

Mixed doubles demand trust and chemistry. Players need to communicate, encourage, read the game together, and most especially work in unison to be successful.  

“Today I was nervous,” said Yoshimoto, a physical education and sport student from the University of Tsukuba. “But Jay was there to help me. After this final, I have a series of tournaments lined up, but I will just take them one at a time.”

Japan faces Kenya for gold at 2 p.m. CET on Friday, 25 July. Friend will be playing for another FISU Games title on Saturday when he battles Toby Samuel in the men’s singles championship match.

Passion, perseverance and purpose

The FISU Games are more than just a competition. They are a celebration of the global community of student-athletes.

They represent the power of sport to transform lives. For every athlete, regardless of where they come from, they are given the power to shine on one of the world’s most inspiring stages.

“I love the atmosphere of the Games, it’s like the Olympics for students. It is challenging to do tennis and education, it is good,” Belgium’s Jana Otzipka said.

This was no different for Alevtina Ibragimova, an individual neutral athlete, who beat Otzipka 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday to advance to Saturday’s women’s singles title match.

Otzipka was quick to emphasise the number of matches she played, which affected her performance in the semis.

“My legs were a bit heavy because I played a lot of matches, the second match was three sets, so it was hard.”   

Ibragimova explained her mindset going into the duel. “I tried to play my game and manage my emotions. The second part is to have more stability than my opponent, so I am happy about it.”

Otzipka’s powerful ground strokes pushed her opponent into long baseline rallies. However, it was the neutral athlete who found her range to take the first set. The Belgian responded in the second with more aggressive play. You could hear Ibragimova scream in frustration and a K-tape was noticeable on her shoulder raising the question: Could she be injured?

But she was quick to dismiss that idea. “Just in case, you never know, it better to be prepared in this kind of tournament. Before this tournament I was on holiday so I had enough time to recover and to prepare.”

Neutral athletes reflect FISU’s commitment to inclusion and opportunity, ensuring that political complexities do not eclipse the chance for student-athletes to compete on merit and passion.

“I will play in the final, so I am super happy because there are a lot of great athletes here.”

Ibragimova will face Eszter Méri of Slovakia for gold on Saturday.

The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Jagunna Iretomiwa, FISU Young Reporter, Nigeria

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.