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Japan Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title
badminton China's former badminton world number one Shi Yuqi won the Japan Open title on Sunday, beating French defending champion Alex Lanier 21-17, 21-15 in the final. South Korea's An Se-young downed China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final to capture an incredible sixth title in seven tournaments so far this year. Shi was replaced at the top of the men's world rankings by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in June, but he was too good for rising star Lanier in Tokyo. The Chinese player came out on top after a close first game and wore his 20-year-old opponent down to close out the match in 50 minutes. "I wanted to take it at my own pace, and even if I was losing I knew it was important to dig in," said current world number three Shi, who won his third title of the year. "My opponent is young and he has a lot of physical strength, so I knew I had to stick to my own style." Lanier won his first major senior title in Tokyo last year and he followed it up with victory at the European Championships in April. He will attempt to win the world title in front of his home fans in Paris next month, but he admitted he felt pressure in Tokyo as the defending champion. "I don't think that it is affecting me mentally, but physically you play with a bit more pressure," he said. "The movements are a bit less relaxed and there are some distractions in the timing, in the footwork." World women's number one An extended her remarkable run of form with a dominating win over second-seeded Wang. An's only defeat this year came in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open last month. "I always have areas that need to be improved on so I work on those in training," said the 23-year-old An, who won gold at last year's Paris Olympics. "I challenge myself and that's what leads to these results -- I put in extra effort on the things that need improving." China's Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin took the mixed doubles title, beating Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Suprissara Paewsampran 21-19, 16-21, 21-15 in the final. China also came out on top in women's doubles, with the top-seeded pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning beating Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-15, 21-14. South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Sueng-jae won the men's doubles final 21-16, 21-17 over Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin. © 2025 AFP
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Shi Yuqi Defeats Alex Lanier To Win Japan Open Title, An Se Young Bags Sixth Title
Last Updated: China's Shi Yuqi has won the Japan Open title, defeating Alex Lanier. China's former world number one Shi Yuqi clinched the Japan Open title on Sunday, July 20, beating the French defending champion Alex Lanier 21-17, 21-15 in the final. South Korea's An Se-young overcame China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final, bagging a brilliant sixth title in seven tournaments in 2025. Shi, who was replaced at the top of the men's world rankings by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn last month, proved too strong for rising star Lanier in Tokyo. Shi emerged victorious after a well-contested first game and wore down his 20-year-old opponent, ending the match in 50 minutes. 'I wanted to maintain my own pace, and even if I was behind, I knew it was crucial to persevere," said current world number three Shi, who claimed his third title of the year. 'My opponent is young with a lot of physical strength, so I knew I had to stick to my style." Lanier, who won his first major senior title in Tokyo in 2024 and followed it up with a win at the European Championships three months back, will aim for the world title in front of his home fans in Paris in August. However, he acknowledged feeling pressure in Tokyo as the defending champion. 'I don't think it affects me mentally, but physically, you play with a bit more pressure," he said. World women's number one An extended her impressive form with a dominating victory over the second-seeded Wang. An's sole loss in 2025 occurred in the quarters of the Singapore Open in June, when she lost to Chen Yu Fei in straight games. 'I always have areas that need improvement, so I work on those in training," said the 23-year-old An, who won gold at last year's Paris Olympics. 'I challenge myself, and that's what leads to these results—putting in extra effort on the things that need improving." China's Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin claimed the mixed doubles title, beating Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Suprissara Paewsampran 21-19, 16-21, 21-15 in the final. China triumphed in women's doubles as well, with the top-seeded pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning defeating Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-15, 21-14. South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae won the men's doubles final 21-16, 21-17 over Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin. (With AFP Inputs) view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Shi beats Lanier to win Japan Open badminton title
TOKYO: China's former badminton world No. 1 Shi Yuqi won the Japan Open title today, beating French defending champion Alex Lanier 21-17, 21-15 in the final. South Korea's An Se Young downed China's Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 21-10 in the women's final to capture an incredible sixth title in seven tournaments so far this year. Shi was replaced at the top of the men's world rankings by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in June, but he was too good for rising star Lanier in Tokyo. The Chinese player came out on top after a close first game and wore his 20-year-old opponent down to close out the match in 50 minutes. "I wanted to take it at my own pace, and even if I was losing I knew it was important to dig in," said current world No. 3 Shi, who won his third title of the year. "My opponent is young and he has a lot of physical strength, so I knew I had to stick to my own style." Lanier won his first major senior title in Tokyo last year and he followed it up with victory at the European Championships in April. He will attempt to win the world title in front of his home fans in Paris next month, but he admitted he felt pressure in Tokyo as the defending champion. "I don't think that it is affecting me mentally, but physically you play with a bit more pressure," he said. "The movements are a bit less relaxed and there are some distractions in the timing, in the footwork." World women's No. 1 Se Young extended her remarkable run of form with a dominating win over second-seeded Wang. Se Young's only defeat this year came in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open last month. "I always have areas that need to be improved on so I work on those in training," said the 23-year-old Se Young, who won gold at last year's Paris Olympics. "I challenge myself and that's what leads to these results – I put in extra effort on the things that need improving." China's Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin took the mixed doubles title, beating Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Suprissara Paewsampran 21-19, 16-21, 21-15 in the final. China also came out on top in women's doubles, with the top-seeded pair of Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning beating Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-15, 21-14.
Sharjah 24
5 days ago
- Business
- Sharjah 24
China's first Legoland opens to tourists in Shanghai
The Chinese branch of the British-owned theme park franchise is the biggest Legoland in the world. It drew in early customers who flocked to attractions including a miniature train ride and a dragon-themed rollercoaster. "I personally love to play with Lego blocks and we have many sets at home... so I wanted to come to Legoland at the earliest opportunity," said Shi, a 35-year-old resident of nearby city Hangzhou, who was visiting the park with his wife and child. Despite the Chinese economy's sluggish growth in recent years, domestic tourist spending grew 18.6 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous year, according to statistics. "Ever since the pandemic, I've made very few trips abroad," said Shi, adding his family now travels to theme parks around China "many times a year". Eager Lego fans rushed into the park as soon as it opened, wearing themed shirts and waving branded flags as they enjoyed the 318,000-square-metre (78.5-acre) compound in scorching temperatures. Beijing has announced subsidies intended to make travelling within the country more affordable for Chinese citizens, and is pushing local governments to heavily market their attractions on social media. Companies have taken note of the wider local tourism boom and stepped up their plans in China. A new "Spider-Man" attraction at Shanghai Disneyland broke ground in May, while Warner Brothers is set to open a Harry Potter experience in Shanghai by 2027. Toy giant Hasbro said this week its giant Peppa Pig park in the city was now "in the phase of creative design". Chinese collectable toy maker Pop Mart has also opened an attraction in Beijing featuring life-sized versions of its popular Labubu toys. "The various provinces are putting a lot of effort into expanding their tourism industries, and all of them have special attractions," said Xu, a 34-year-old parent visiting Legoland on Saturday with his children. But profitability remains a problem, especially for local companies with less brand recognition. As of late 2024, around 40 percent of parks were still failing to turn a profit, according to state media reports. Yet analysts point to a growing population of retirees and job market changes as key factors pushing more locals to visit domestic attractions. "The labour market is turning more flexible," said Ernan Cui, China consumer analyst at Gavekal Research. "More people have leisure time to travel around."
Malaysia Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- Malaysia Sun
China reaches finals in 4 events at badminton Japan Open
BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- China advanced to the finals in four out of five events at the badminton Japan Open after Saturday's semifinals in Tokyo, only missing out in men's doubles. 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.
