Japan Open Superseries: Lee/Yoo beat world no.1s for victory

2014-06-15

2014 Japan Open Superseries | June 10-15 | Tokyo, Japan


Lee Yong Dae, Yoo Yeon Seong
 
Final day notes & results
Tai shines in Tokyo following a winning run in 2012 and a semifinal last year. Japan duo Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi delights home crowd with women’s doubles crown. Here’s the final results:
  Event WINNER Scores RUNNER-UP
  MS Lee Chong Wei [1] MAS 21-14, 21-12 INA Hu Yun [8]  
  WS Li Xuerui [1]  21-16, 21,6 TPE Tai Tzu Ying [6]  
  MD Lee Yong Dae [5] 
Yoo Yeon Seong 
21-12, 26-24  Mohammad Ahsan [1]
 Hendra Setiawan
 
  WD Misaki Matsutomo [3] 
Ayaka Takahashi 
21-13, 21-17  Reika Kakiiwa [4]
 Miyuki Maeda
 
  XD Zhang Nan [1] CHN
Zhao Yunlei 
CHN
21-12, 21-16 GER Michael Fuchs [8]
GER Birgit Michels
 
 

"Victory Number": 31
Lee Yong Dae
Lee Yong Dae's win at Japan Open marked his 31st career Superseries victory.
 
After avenging their Thomas Cup defeat to world champions Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan in the finals, 21-12 26-24, Korean aces Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong took the victory in their first comeback Superseries tournament, which is also Lee’s 31st career Superseries title and first in 2014.
 
Yoo Yeon Seong, Lee Yong Dae
It was only Yoo (left) and Lee's third tournament of the 2014 season.
 

Player of the week
The hosts took up both final spots in the women’s doubles, which was relied upon in Japan’s impressive runner-up performance in the Uber Cup team event earlier this year, with third seeds Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi edging fourth seeds Reika Kakiiwa/Miyuki Maeda, 21-13 21-17, in the all-Japanese final.

Battle of the week
Sung Ji Hyun of Korea fought off 7 match points in the semifinals against world no.1 Li Xuerui, being 14-20 down in the second game, before eventual champion Li stepped it up and closed out the match 21-15 25-23 on the eighth chance.
 
Sung Ji Hyun
Sung Ji Hyun, 2014 Japan Open semifinalist.
 

VICTOR STAR of the week 
Tai Tzu Ying from Taiwan upped her level whenever playing in the Japanese capital. She’s made it to at least the final-4 stage in her three outings at the Japan Open. The 2012 winner was one match away from repeating the feat, but failed to world no.1 Li Xuerui. However, a final showing was already her best result in the season so far. 2013 winner Akane Yamaguchi also succumbed to the eventual winner in the first round, in which Li lost her only game all week.
 
Tai Tzu Ying
Tai  has been the final 4 standing or better for three consecutives years in Tokyo.
 

( Edit by VICTOR Badminton )

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