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In the women’s singles, Yamaguchi Akane ensured there will be one home finalist at the Japan Open as she advanced from her semi-final against Supanida Katethong of Thailand.
The second seed and former world No.1 continued her perfect record against Katethong, having faced off just three weeks earlier at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the round of 16 stage. On that occasion Yamaguchi won in straight games.
In Yokohama, Yamaguchi dominated the first game 21-14, holding her nerve on the rallies to put one foot in the final. Katethong was not going to let her opponent have it easy, however, taking the lead in the second game and looking like she could force a decider.
Nonetheless, Yamaguchi regained her momentum towards the end to win it 22-20 and qualify for the fifth Japan Open final of her career.
The Japanese star will face Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who has qualified for her first Super 750 final in Yokohama. The Thai shuttler progressed after her Chinese Taipei opponent, top seed Tai Tzu Ying, was forced to withdraw due to knee injury.
The men’s and women’s finals will take place on Sunday (25 August). The action will be streamed live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app (territorial restrictions may apply).
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