BADMINTON: Mixed doubles stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai settled for a runners-up title at the US$850,000 (B29 million) BWF Japan Open in Tokyo yesterday (July 30).
The second-seeded Thai pair lost to home players – third seeds Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino of Japan – 21-17, 16-21, 15-21 in the final of the BWF World Tour Super 750 event.
The Japanese pair also upset top seeds Zheng Siwei and Haung Yaqiong of China in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Dechapol and Sapsiree received their awards from Thai badminton chief Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul.
Meanwhile An Se-Young took the women’s singles title to secure her promotion to world No.1.
The 21-year-old Korean star beat He BingJiao of China 21-15, 21-11 in the women’s singles final.
With the victory, An was set to rise to the world No.1 spot, replacing Japan’s reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi, who crashed out in the quarter-finals.
“I was so happy that when I won I didn’t know what to say and how to describe it in words,” she said in a post-victory press conference.
“This has been my dream. It is now just sinking in.”
World No.1 Viktor Axelsen clinched the men’s singles crown after he fended off a brave challenge from Jonatan Christie of Indonesia to win 21-7, 21-18.
After cruising through the first game, Axelsen struggled in the second with his 3-0 lead becoming an 8-13 deficit at one point, as Christie fired a barrage of sizzling shots at the reigning world champion.
In the men’s doubles final, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin of Taiwan defeated Japanese duo Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi 21-19, 21-13.
South Korean women’s doubles pair Kim So-Yeong and Kong Hee-Yong took the title with a 21-17, 21-14 win over China’s Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan.
– Additional reporting by the Bangkok Post
