Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto left little doubt, delivering a commanding free skate to claim the NHK Trophy women’s title with a combined total of 227.18 points. The three-time world champion thrilled the home crowd in Osaka with her trademark speed, clean triple jumps, and strong presentation — earning the highest score of the Grand Prix series so far. 

Sakamoto extended her lead from the short program, where she opened a nearly 10-point advantage with 77.05 points, then followed up with a free-skate score of 150.13. Her nuanced and emotional performance to Edith Piaf's 'Non, je ne regrette rien' was yet another nod to her decision to retire at the end of this Olympic season. The performance brought the arena to its feet and secured her a second Grand Prix medal of the 2025–26 season, punching her ticket to December’s Grand Prix Final in Nagoya.

Kazakhstan’s Sofia Samodelkina secured silver with 200.00 points, maintaining her position from the short program. The 18-year-old matched Sakamoto and Hendrickx on technical difficulty and continues to impress in her first senior Grand Prix season.

Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx surged from fourth after the short program to capture bronze with a total of 198.97 points. Her dynamic free skate — highlighted by powerful jumps and improved components — earned the second-highest score of the segment (136.52) and marked a strong recovery after a challenging start to her Grand Prix campaign.

South Korea’s You Young finished fourth overall with 198.82 points, less than two-tenths of a point behind Hendrickx, after delivering one of the strongest technical programs of the night (TES 68.71). Japan’s Yuna Aoki delighted the Osaka audience with a season-best total of 183.31 points, climbing from ninth after the short to fifth overall thanks to an elegant, error-free free skate.

The United States placed two skaters inside the top 10. Sarah Everhardt recorded a Grand Prix total of 186.69 points for 5th place, improving on her short-program ranking with a composed free skate that earned over 62 points in both technical and component marks. Teammate Elyce Lin-Gracey finished tenth (162.41 points) after a solid showing in both segments.