Yamaguchi to face An in hunt for fourth badminton world crown / Photo: © AFP
-
Swedish police identify 17-year-old girl as victim in school sword attack
-
Yamaguchi to face An in hunt for fourth badminton world crown
-
Carrick keeps calm despite Man Utd misery, Sage beaten in first game as Palace boss
-
Norris clinches pole for Dutch GP
-
France to deliver interceptor missiles to Ukraine after new Russian strikes
-
Norris clinches pole for Dutch Grand Prix
-
Serena Williams and Alcaraz unite in US Open mixed doubles
-
Pope Leo calls for courage in Rimini visit after stop in tiny San Marino
-
Macron pledges air defence as 13 killed in Russia, Ukraine strikes
-
Man Utd must learn from 'frustrating' defeat at Hull: Carrick
-
DR Congo capital wary of Ebola nightmare
-
Yamaguchi on course for fourth badminton world crown
-
Swedish police name 17-year-old girl as victim in school sword attack
-
Man Utd humiliated by Hull in dismal start to Premier League season
-
South Korea sends first container ship through Arctic route
-
Anthropic market debut could break SpaceX IPO record: media
-
Trescothick eager to keep England job despite Hussey approach
-
Pope's 'couturier of the sacred' fueled by faith
-
Indonesia deploys hundreds of soldiers to tackle Borneo fires
-
Duplantis locked in on 'grinding' for big bars
-
The last lap: Fans, drivers bid fond farewell to Dutch GP
-
Stokes says decision to leave Headingley off Ashes roster 'shambolic'
-
Silesia Diamond League: four events to watch
-
New arrival Rodri to miss Elche opener: Barca's Flick
-
Russell wins Dutch GP sprint race, Antonelli fourth
-
Atletico's Alvarez to return against Villarreal: Simeone
-
Mercedes driver George Russell wins Dutch GP sprint race
-
Dozens of civilians killed, kidnapped as jihadists clash in Nigeria
-
Ukraine strikes kill two children after Russia's deadly mall attack
-
Former envoys urge joint French, UK action on Palestinian territories
-
Pope visits San Marino, before addressing Italian political gathering
-
Australia lead by 101 in 2nd Bangladesh Test as 18 wickets fall on day one
-
Trump tariffs heap up as Canada tries to curb US reliance
-
'Aura' battles leap from social media to Latin America streets
-
Australia lose three wickets after skittling Bangladesh for 64
-
US, Canada fail to reach trade pact to avert Trump tariffs
-
Bangladesh all out for 64 in 2nd Test after Starc masterclass
-
Sudan farms lie barren as El Nino leaves Nile banks dry
-
Odyssey effect: stars sell Greece to a new wave of US tourists
-
Arctic shipping a daunting prospect in hotly contested region
-
South Korea to send first container ship through Arctic route
-
In US, rare earths extracted from coal mine wastewater
-
Starc takes 5-11 to leave Bangladesh reeling in 2nd Test
-
Nakashima pounds Fritz, Bejlek beats Keys in Cincinnati upsets
-
Injured Rune withdraws from US Open
-
Canadian negotiator says 'more work to do' on US trade deal
-
Nakashima knocks out Fritz to reach Cincinnati semi-finals
-
'Solid' Clark takes solo lead at BMW Championship
-
Ukraine says 'cynical' Russian strike on shopping centre killed 16
-
Arteta hails Arsenal's desire after perfect start to title defence
Yamaguchi to face An in hunt for fourth badminton world crown
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.
Japanese ace Yamaguchi beat Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand 21-12, 21-17 at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
Yamaguchi looked in supreme touch as she went past her opponent, who got a walkover in the quarter-final after Nozomi Okuhara pulled out due to a knee injury, in game one.
The second game was close but world number two Yamaguchi's experience served her well as she moved into her fourth world championship final.
"I don't look back at the previous wins that much, but yeah, it is amazing that I am here today and looking forward to enjoy the final," said Yamaguchi.
Reigning Olympic champion and top-seeded An battled past China's world number three Wang Zhiyi 24-22, 21-16 in 61 minutes.
An, the 2023 winner, faced stiff competition from a determined Wang.
In the second game both players looked exhausted in humid Delhi, but An's resilience kept her on track for a second gold.
In men's singles, Lanier beat Victor Lai of Canada 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in one hour and 25 minutes of intense action to assure himself of at least a silver.
Ninth-seeded Lanier, who became the first Frenchman to secure a world championship medal after his win in the quarter-final, lost the opening game but made Lai earn every point from being 7-0 down.
The 21-year-old Lanier bounced back in game two as his seventh-seeded opponent suddenly seemed to suffer from a loss of energy and the the world number 10 capitalised.
Lanier closed out the decider with impressive winners and fell down on his knees to celebrate victory.
"I don't feel that emotional at the moment," Lanier said after the gruelling battle. "I am too tired to feel how big it is, but I am just focusing on the next match tomorrow and do it the right way."
The mixed doubles pair of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue had already made the day memorable for France with an earlier win in the semi-final over the Chinese duo of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin.
Lanier will face Japan's Kodai Naraoka, who battled past Chou Tien-chien of Taiwan 17-21, 21-11, 21-10 in the second semi-final.
Chou won the opener but appeared to run out of steam in the final game, allowing Naraoka to dominate his flagging opponent and reach his first world championship final.
K.Sutter--VB
