Yamaguchi on course for fourth badminton world crown

Akane Yamaguchi, the defending champion, is set to compete for her fourth consecutive badminton world championship title after securing a victory in the women's singles semi-final at the BWF World Championships held in New Delhi. The match against Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong concluded with a score of 21-12, 21-17, showcasing Yamaguchi's exceptional skills and experience.

The second-seeded player expressed her excitement about being in the final, emphasizing that she was focused on enjoying the event. Yamaguchi will face the winner of the match between South Korea's world number one An Se-young and China's Wang Zhiyi.

In the men's singles category, Alex Lanier from France made a triumphant return to the finals after his quarter-final win. Lanier defeated Canada's Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in an intense three-set match. Despite losing the opening game, the 21-year-old Frenchman persevered and capitalized on Lai's apparent exhaustion in the second game.

Lanier celebrated his victory by falling down on his knees, citing his exhaustion as the reason for his emotional state. The world number 10 will now face the winner of the match between Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen and Japan's Kodai Naraoka. Earlier in the day, France's mixed doubles team of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue had already secured a memorable semi-final win against the Chinese duo of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin.