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Key Points

China’s Shi Yuqi overcame defending champion Alex Lanier to win the men’s singles title at the Japan Open. South Korea’s An Se-young continued her stellar season, overpowering Wang Zhiyi for her sixth title. China also excelled in doubles, securing victories in women’s and mixed events. The tournament concluded with South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae taking the men’s doubles crown.

Key Points: Shi Yuqi and An Se-young Clinch Japan Open Badminton Titles

  • Shi Yuqi defeats France's Alex Lanier in straight sets
  • An Se-young dominates Wang Zhiyi for sixth title this year
  • China wins two doubles events alongside Shi's gold
  • South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae claim men's doubles
2 min read

China's Shi Yuqi, Korea's An Se-young win titles at badminton Japan Open

China's Shi Yuqi and Korea's An Se-young dominate Japan Open badminton, securing singles titles in Tokyo.

"Shi seized control when tied 17-17 in the first game, reeling off four straight points to claim it. – Xinhua"

Tokyo, July 20

China's Shi Yuqi claimed the men's singles title in the BWF Japan Open badminton championship here on Sunday, while Olympic champion An Se-young of South Korea secured the women's singles crown in a dominant display, emerging on top in the USD 950,000 prize money event played at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Facing defending champion Alex Lanier of France, Shi seized control when tied 17-17 in the first game, reeling off four straight points to claim it before clinching the second 21-15 for the victory. Shi, who has experienced fluctuating form this year due to gastrointestinal issues, dominated the first game in the semifinals, winning 21-12, reports Xinhua.

The second game proved far tougher, with Shi, the highest seed remaining after the early exits of the top two seeds, securing his berth in the final by beating French shuttler Christo Popov, saving three game points before clinching it 28-26.

An Se-young continued her remarkable season, overpowering China's Wang Zhiyi in just 42 minutes. The Olympic champion triumphed 21-12, 21-10, capturing her sixth title from seven BWF World Tour tournaments entered this year.

Earlier on Saturday, World No. 1 An Se-young cruised past Japan's Riko Gunji 21-12, 21-10 to reach her sixth final of the year. China's second seed Wang Zhiyi made it to the final by defeating home favourite Akane Yamaguchi 21-15, 21-18.

China emerged as the most successful team overall. Alongside Shi's gold and Wang's silver, they secured victories in two doubles events at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning successfully defended their women's doubles title, defeating Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-15, 21-14. In the mixed doubles, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin overcame Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in a 62-minute thriller, winning 21-19, 16-21, 21-15.

The men's doubles title went to South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who defeated Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 21-16, 21-17.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
China's dominance in badminton continues... Shi Yuqi's comeback after health issues is inspiring. But honestly, the matches would be more exciting if there was more competition from other countries. Where's the diversity in winners?
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Aman W
The Korea vs China rivalry in badminton is getting intense! An Se-young is carrying Korea's hopes single-handedly while China has depth in their squad. Indian badminton needs to step up its game big time.
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Priyanka N
That 28-26 game by Shi Yuqi must have been nail-biting! Badminton at this level is pure entertainment. Wish we had more coverage of these tournaments in India instead of just cricket all the time.
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Karan T
Respect to all players but I'm disappointed no Indian reached even the quarterfinals. Our Sports Authority needs to invest more in badminton infrastructure and training. China's system is clearly working better.
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Nisha Z
An Se-young's performance was clinical! She's making badminton look so easy. Meanwhile, our Indian players are struggling with consistency. Maybe we need foreign coaches like we did for Gopichand's academy golden era.
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Varun X
The mixed doubles match sounds like it was the most exciting! 62 minutes thriller

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