Yamaguchi to face An in hunt for fourth badminton world crown
NEW DELHI: Defending champion Akane Yamaguchi stayed on course for her fourth badminton world championship crown and will face top-ranked An Se-young in the title showdown, while France’s Alex Lanier reached the men’s final on Saturday.
Defending champion Akane Yamaguchi aims for her fourth badminton world title, set to face top-ranked An Se-young in the final. In the semi-final, Yamaguchi defeated Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12, 21-17, after Chochuwong received a walkover in the quarter-finals due to Nozomi Okuhara's knee injury. Yamaguchi, the world number two, expressed her excitement about the upcoming final, emphasizing that she doesn't dwell on her past wins.
Reigning Olympic champion An Se-young, the 2023 champion, overcame China's Wang Zhiyi 24-22, 21-16 in a grueling match, admitting she played to the best of her ability despite exhaustion. In men's singles, France's Alex Lanier secured his place in the final by defeating Canada's Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14. Lanier, who became the first French player to win a medal at a world championship, admitted he was too tired to fully appreciate his victory.
Meanwhile, France's mixed doubles team of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue had already made history with their semi-final win against the Chinese duo of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin. Lanier will face Japan's Kodai Naraoka, who defeated Chou Tien-chien of Taiwan 17-21, 21-11, 21-10, in the second semi-final, as they vie for their first world championship final together.
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