Fujitsu Sweeps Defending Champion Denso to Open W.LEAGUE 2026-27 Season

The 2026-27 W.LEAGUE season opened with Fujitsu winning two straight games over defending champion Denso. Starting the new season with consecutive wins against last year's title holder is the key takeaway from the opening.

The W.LEAGUE is Japan's top women's basketball league. Its clubs are largely built around corporate teams, and company-backed teams compete for the title every season.

The highlight of this start is that Fujitsu won both games against last season's champion. The team that picks up wins over the defending champion moves ahead early. For Denso, the start as defending champion brought two losses.

In general, results from the opening week of a league season set the foundation for the standings race over the full season. Winning percentage is calculated by dividing wins by games played, so early winning streaks tend to affect later results. However, the standings are not decided by the opening week alone.

In basketball, teams compete by piling up points from two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws. Defensive rebounds and turnovers also affect outcomes, so when analyzing a winning streak, it helps to look at these numbers as well as points. Because the opponent was last season's champion, the win also serves as a benchmark when compared with last season's results.

Going forward, the focus will be on how the two teams perform in their next meeting and how the power structure of the top group changes. As the season progresses, attention will also turn to how much the opening-week results are reflected in the final standings.

W.LEAGUE games are played as a mix of home games at each club's home arena and road games. For fans, following changes in each team's tactics and player deployment adds to the season's highlights.

At key points in the season, fans can enjoy following games while tracking changes in the standings. Opening-week results are treated as a starting point for reading the race that follows.

The two straight wins are one factor in gauging what lies ahead for both teams.

This article was written by the Basketball Press editors based on the cited reports. Please check the source for full details and exact figures.