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Akane Yamaguchi in action (Credit: X)
Yamaguchi will take on Carolina Marin in the final after the Spanish fifth seed beat Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying 21-13, 21-12.
Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi ended An Se-young’s reign at the All England Open with a 21-10, 19-21, 21-14 victory in the women’s singles badminton semi-finals on Saturday.
Two-time world champion Yamaguchi edged a tense battle with South Korea’s An, the world number one, to reach Sunday’s final.
“I’m really pleased that I’m going into the final. I’m very pleased that I could play like that against An Se-young, a very strong player,” Yamaguchi said.
An blamed her loss on fatigue and injuries that have lingered following her appearance at the India Open.
“After the India Open, that’s where I got the injuries. It’s been a long wait, which was very exhausting,” she said.
“But then I also learnt this is what attracted me most to badminton. We’ve been preparing for this tournament a lot for a very long time.
“It wasn’t the result that we wanted but we endured which I’m happy about.”
Yamaguchi will take on Carolina Marin in the final after the Spanish fifth seed beat Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying 21-13, 21-12.
In the men’s final, Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting will face compatriot and former room-mate Jonatan Christie.
Christie advanced by defeating India’s Lakshya Sen 21-12, 10-21, 21-15, setting up the final showdown with his old friend Ginting.
“I remember when we came to the national team. He was my first team-mate. He is very humble, he is also a very happy person,” Christie said.
“For six or seven years we shared a room together so it is a proud moment for us and for Indonesia men’s singles. I think this is a good story for us.”
Ginting won 19-21, 21-5, 21-11 against France’s Christo Popov to reach his first All England Open final.
“It is my very first All England final and I want to say how happy and grateful I am to get another big win,” he said.
“All England is one of the biggest tournaments that every player wants to win, everyone feels the same way, it is really good for me personally to get here.”
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
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