Reigning world kata champion Kiyou Shimizu was in superb form on the opening day of the Karate1 Premier League season ©WKF

Japan's reigning world kata champions Kiyou Shimizu and Ryo Kiyuna demonstrated their class once again as they each produced superb displays to reach their respective gold medal matches on the opening day of the Paris Open here.

Shimizu, who triumphed at the season-ending World Karate Federation (WKF) Karate1 Premier League event in Okinawa in November, was a class above the rest of the field as she comfortably claimed a place in the women’s kata final on Sunday (January 24).

She was awarded all of her contests by unanimous decision and sealed her berth in the gold medal contest by virtue of a 5-0 success over Italy’s Sara Battaglia, fifth at the Karate1 Premier League event in Salzburg in Austria in October.

The 22-year-old star, making her first appearance here, will take on defending champion and compatriot Emiri Iwamoto for the Paris Open title.

Iwamoto was also in good form, with the only blight on her record coming in her second round match with home favourite Alexandra Feracci, bronze medallist here last year, during which one judge preferred the Frenchwoman’s routine.

Both Battaglia and Sakura Kokumai of the United States have earned bronze.

Japan's world champion Ryo Kiyuna endured a tough path to the final of the men's kata event
Japan's world champion Ryo Kiyuna endured a tough path to the final of the men's kata event ©WKF

Kiyuna, who is also competing at the Paris Open for the first time, breezed through his early elimination stage contests as he showed the crowd inside the arena why he is considered the top men’s kata karateka in the world.

Kiyuna, gold medallist in Okinawa and at the World Championships in Bremen in Germany in November 2014, was given a scare in his quarter-final with Turkey's European silver medallist Mehmet Yakan, however, but squeezed through to the last four after three judges awarded him the bout.

He was then pushed all the way by European champion Damian Quintero of Spain, winner of two gold medals on the Karate1 Premier League circuit last year, in his last eight bout but held on for another 3-2 success.

Kiyuna will go up against compatriot Issei Shimbaba in the final on Sunday.

Damian and Frenchman Minh Dack, the other beaten semi-finalist, have claimed the bronze medals in the category.

The women’s team kata final will be between France and Italy.

Hosts France will face Germany for gold in the men’s team kata discipline.

Around 1,000 karatekas are due to take to the mat during the event here, which continues tomorrow with men’s and women’s kumite eliminations and repechages across all 10 weight categories.