Did China's Shi Yuqi and Korea's An Se-young Win Titles at the Japan Open Badminton Championship?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Shi Yuqi claims men's singles title at Japan Open.
- An Se-young dominates to win women's singles crown.
- Overall, China was the most successful team.
- Exciting matches across all categories showcased top talent.
- Significant prize money of USD 950,000 attracted elite players.
Tokyo (Japan), July 20 (NationPress) Shi Yuqi from China has successfully captured the men's singles title at the BWF Japan Open badminton championship on Sunday. Meanwhile, the reigning Olympic champion, An Se-young of South Korea, showcased an impressive performance by clinching the women's singles crown in this prestigious competition, which featured a total prize pool of USD 950,000 held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
In a thrilling match against defending champion Alex Lanier from France, Shi took charge after the score was tied at 17-17 in the first game, going on to secure four consecutive points for the win before finishing the second game 21-15. Shi has faced inconsistent performance this year due to gastrointestinal challenges but showed his prowess in the semifinals with a decisive win of 21-12, as reported by Xinhua.
The semifinal match was far more challenging, with Shi, the highest remaining seed following the early departures of the top two seeds, fighting hard to reach the finals against Christo Popov from France. He saved three game points and triumphed 28-26.
An Se-young continued her stellar season, overpowering Wang Zhiyi of China in a swift 42 minutes. The Olympic champion secured the match with scores of 21-12 and 21-10, marking her sixth title from seven tournaments on the BWF World Tour this year.
Earlier on Saturday, World No. 1 An Se-young advanced effortlessly past Japan's Riko Gunji with scores of 21-12 and 21-10, reaching her sixth final this year. China's second seed, Wang Zhiyi, reached the finals by defeating local star Akane Yamaguchi with scores of 21-15, 21-18.
China emerged as the leading nation in this championship, with Shi's gold and Wang's silver, along with victories in two doubles categories at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning successfully defended their women's doubles title by defeating Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan with scores of 21-15, 21-14. In the mixed doubles event, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin triumphed over Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran in a thrilling 62-minute match, winning 21-19, 16-21, 21-15.
The men's doubles title was claimed by South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, who defeated Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin with scores of 21-16, 21-17.