KUALA LUMPUR – Men’s singles shuttler top seed Viktor Axelsen advanced to the World Championship finals in Tokyo after defeating fourth seed Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan in straight sets, 21-15, 21-17, today.
Viktor, who had won the 2017 edition, will face 16th-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the finals tomorrow.
“I’m just really happy with how I managed to step up. We played a really good game, and he (Kunlavut) made it hard for me there.
“I told myself that I had to focus on every single shot, get down to defence, and try to get everything over the net,” Viktor said after the match.
Earlier, Kunlavut defeated unseeded Zhao Jun Peng of China, 22-20, 21-6.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan overcame third-seeded An Se Young of South Korea, 21-19, 21-12.
Speaking to the press after the match, Akane said she was proud to make it into the finals with Japan as the host country.
“It is going to be my last match of this tournament, so I’m simply going to be out there and will give my best performance,” Akane said after her match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Akane will next face fourth-seeded Chen Yu Fei of China, who delivered a stunning upset against second-seeded Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan, 15-21, 21-14, 21-18.
In the women’s doubles, top seed and defending champion Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan of China defeated sixth seeds Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan, 21-13, 21-14.
They will meet fourth seeds Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong, who beat 14th seeds Puttita Supajirakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai, in the finals.
As for the mixed doubles category, third seeds Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino of Japan overcame ninth seeds Mark Lamsfuss-Isabel Lohau of Germany in straight sets, 21-8, 21-6, in under 30 minutes.
They booked a spot in the finals to meet top seeds, China’s Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong who threw compatriots Wang Yi Lyu-Huang Dong Ping out of the semis. – The Vibes, August 27, 2022
