Kotaro Noguchi (Sendai-shi, JPN) finished 2-2 in the 10-team qualifying round. . In their opening game, Noguchi lost 6-4 to Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi (Karuizawa, JPN), droppimg another game, 4-3 to Hakjun Kim (Chuncheon, KOR) where Noguchi responded with a 6-5 win over Kohsuke Hirata (Kitami, JPN). Noguchi won 5-4 against Rio Hayashi (Hokkaido, JPN) in their final qualifying round match.
 
Noguchi ranks th overall on the Year-to-Date rankings with points earned so far this season.