China reaches finals in 4 events at badminton Japan Open
Top Chinese men's singles player Shi Yuqi, now the highest seed remaining after the early exits of the top two seeds, secured his final berth by beating French shuttler Christo Popov.
Shi, who has experienced fluctuating form this year due to gastrointestinal issues, dominated the first game 21-12. The second game proved far tougher, with Shi saving three game points before clinching it 28-26.
Shi will face defending champion Alex Lanier of France in Sunday's final. Lanier had ever defeated Shi in last year's semifinals on the way to claiming his first career BWF World Tour Super 750 title.
The women's singles final will feature the tournament's top two seeds. World No. 1 An Se-young of South Korea cruised past Japan's Riko Gunji 21-12, 21-10 as she seeks her sixth title of the year. She will face China's second seed Wang Zhiyi, who defeated home favorite Akane Yamaguchi 21-15, 21-18.
In the women's doubles semifinal, China's pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning defeated compatriots Zhang Shuxian and Zheng Yu 21-7, 21-16. They will play Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan for the title.
In the mixed doubles, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin defeated Malaysia's Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 21-12, 21-16. They will face Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in the final.
The men's doubles final will be contested between Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin and South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Pearly-Thinaah need to find a formula quickly to unsettle China's world No. 1 pair
Pearly Tan (left) and M. Thinaah taking on China's Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning in their women's doubles final. — AFP PETALING JAYA: Women's doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah need to find a way to overcome China's world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning fast. Shengshu-Tan Ning ended Pearly-Thinaah's hopes of becoming the first Malaysians to win the women's doubles title in the Japan Open after beating them 21-15, 21-14 in the final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium yesterday. The world No. 3 pair have been in fine form this year but found the formidable Chinese duo hard to break down and lost in 45 minutes. It was Shengshu-Tan Ning's second consecutive win over Pearly-Thinaah in a final after they also denied the latter in the Indonesian Open title match in Jakarta last month. Last year, Pearly-Thinaah also faced their nemeses twice in finals and managed to win once in the Hong Kong Open but lost in the Arctic Open. Overall, Shengshu and Tan Ning, who are only 21 and 22 respectively, now lead Pearly-Thinaah 9-3 in their head-to-head record. On their latest defeat to the Chinese pair, Pearly told the Badminton World Federation (BWF): 'For today's (yesterday) match, our game plan didn't work. They read our game quite well. 'We couldn't overcome this and we need to learn from this match.' Thinaah said: 'The most important thing for us is to be confident in ourselves no matter what the scores are in the match. The main thing is to be confident in what shots you want to play. 'Our confidence was affected a bit today (yesterday). Our opponents put us under a lot of pressure and it wasn't the game we wanted to play.' With the China Open starting tomorrow in Changzhou and the World Championships coming up from Aug 25-31 in Paris, Pearly-Thinaah could face Shengshu-Tan Ning again and need to find a formula quickly to beat the pair. In the China tourney, the Malaysians could take on Shengshu-Tan Ning if both pairs make it into the final again. Pearly-Thinaah have vowed to not let the loss to the duo in Japan affect them too much as they look to maintain their encouraging form in China. The pair have reached four finals this year, capturing the Thailand Open and finishing runners-up in the Indonesian Masters to go with their achievements in the Indonesian and Japan Opens. 'Recently, we have been playing quite well. So, I hope this match won't affect us in the future,' said Pearly. 'The good thing is we keep communicating and supporting each other, whether we win or lose. 'We hope to keep this momentum for our next matches. We will refocus and prepare well for next week.'
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Barrett brothers return for All Blacks in Rugby Championship
BROTHERS Scott and Beauden Barrett are set to return for the All Blacks in the upcoming Rugby Championship after recovering from injuries. Coach Scott Robertson confirmed their availability following New Zealand's series sweep against France. The All Blacks secured a hard-fought 29-19 victory in the third Test in Hamilton, overcoming a physical French side. Captain Scott Barrett missed the last two matches with a calf injury, while fly-half Beauden Barrett was sidelined with a hand fracture. Robertson expressed confidence both would be fit for the opening Rugby Championship Tests in Argentina. 'Beauden's going well. That was one of the reasons we pulled him out this week, to give him every chance to be available for that game,' Robertson said. 'Scott Barrett's tracking really well. That rest has been great for him and in the last week he's been training, so he'll be available for Argentina.' Dynamic back-rower Wallace Sititi is also expected to recover in time after minor ankle surgery. Robertson praised his team's resilience after making 10 changes from the second Test, gradually finding rhythm after France led 19-10 late in the first half. 'The third game is always difficult mentally. You've got one team that's chasing one and one's trying to put it away,' Robertson said. 'You can see how desperate France were, they were spirited and tough, and we're just pleased the guys we gave an opportunity to, took it.' Injury concerns remain for prop Tyrel Lomax (thumb), scrum-half Noah Hotham (ankle), and back-rower Luke Jacobson (quad). Wing Caleb Clarke and prop Tamaiti Williams are likely to miss the Argentina tour but could return for September Tests against South Africa. - AFP
New Straits Times
12 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Zahid hails Pearly-Thinaah, Sze Fei-Izzuddin's fighting spirit after Japan Open run
KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi congratulated national doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani for finishing runners-up in the women's and men's events, respectively, at the 2025 Japan Open badminton championships. Ahmad Zahid described the fighting spirit, high discipline and strong determination shown by the two pairs as a source of inspiration for all Malaysians. "Continue to move forward, keep fighting. Don't ever feel afraid or retreat. Every drop of sweat paves the way to even greater success. "We all stand firmly behind you. For the country, for Malaysia!" he posted on Facebook. In today's Japan Open finals, Pearly-Thinaah emerged as runners-up after losing 5-21, 14-21 to world number one Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning of China. Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin, meanwhile, went down 16-21, 17-21 to South Korea's Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae. As runners-up, each Malaysian pair took home USD33,250 (RM141,000). – BERNAMA
