Joy for hosts as Yamaguchi, Nishimoto win
Japanese duo clinch women's, men's titles to thrill Osaka crowd; mixed doubles pair lose
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OSAKA - Akane Yamaguchi lived up to her status as one of the world's best shuttlers when she clinched her second successive world title in Tokyo last month.
On Sunday, it was double joy for Japan as the 25-year-old and fellow home favourite Kenta Nishimoto thrilled the crowd in Osaka, winning the Japan Open women's and men's badminton singles titles.
Yamaguchi beat An Se-young in the last four of the World Championships and handed the South Korean her second defeat in as many tournaments with a 21-9, 21-15 win.
It was her third title this year, including the All England Open.
"Me and my opponent were both really tired so I wanted to take control of the game right from the start," said the world No. 2.
"I had to take it to the limit, and when I hit that limit, I had the crowd to push me forward."
Compatriot Nishimoto, 28, stunned Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen 21-19, 21-23, 21-17 to finally claim his first international title, having lost in his previous six final appearances.
His win gave the fans something to cheer about after second-ranked Kento Momota lost in the first round earlier last week.
World No. 21 Nishimoto, whose previous best performance this year was a quarter-final appearance at the German Open, said he was "really happy and also a bit relieved" after landing his first title.
"I was very worried going into the third game," he added.
"He's (Chou) a veteran player with a lot of skill who knows how to play cleverly, so I had to be careful right until the end."
Chou, 32, reached the semi-finals of the World Championships, and is known as badminton's comeback king but he could not find a way past Nishimoto.
"I just tried to keep pushing," said the world No. 6. "It worked in the second set but in the third set, I made some mistakes and it was difficult to move closer."
In a thrilling women's doubles final, South Korea's Jeong Na-eun and Kim Hye-jeong narrowly beat their compatriots Baek Ha-na and Lee Yu-lim 23-21, 28-26.
Chinese pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, who started to play together four months ago, won the men's doubles, beating Danes Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 21-18, 13-21, 21-17.
"This is the biggest tournament I have played in my career," Liang said. "I have never seen such a medal before."
In the mixed doubles, Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai beat Japan's Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 16-21, 23-21, 21-18.
Meanwhile, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) will hold two minor tournaments in Ho Chi Minh City and Calgary, Canada later this month before its next major event - the Oct 18-23 Denmark Open.
World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen, who withdrew on the eve of the Japan Open after citing fatigue following his second world crown, is expected to defend his title in his home town of Odense. The 28-year-old is on a BWF Tour-leading 37-match unbeaten run.
AFP
