At the women's singles quarterfinals of the badminton world championships held in Tokyo, Akane Yamaguchi, who is aiming to win the tournament for the second time in a row, beat a Spanish player and decided to advance to the semifinals.
The badminton world championship held in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo was the fifth day of the tournament on the 26th, and the quarterfinals of each event were held.
In the women's singles, world No. 1 Yamaguchi, who is aiming for consecutive victories, played against Spain, who is No. 5 in the world and has won gold medals twice in this tournament.
Yamaguchi gave up the lead in the early stages of the first game, but she scored 6 consecutive points centering on skillful shots that stunned the opposition and won the game with a score of 21-17.
The second game continued with a one-point difference, but Yamaguchi shrugged off the opponent's counterattack with a shot aimed at the course at the end of the game, winning 21 to 17 and winning the game count 2 to 0 in straight sets, advancing to the semifinals. proceeded.
Other Japanese players in the mixed doubles are Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino, who are ranked 3rd in the world. decided.
In the women's doubles, the pair of world No. 6 Wakana NAGAHARA and Mayu MATSUMOTO, who are aiming for their first gold medal in two tournaments, beat the world No. 3 South Korean pair by a game count of 2 to 1 to advance to the semi-finals. is.
On the other hand, in the men's doubles, the pair of world No. 2 Takuro HOKI and Yugo KOBAYASHI, who won the gold medal at the previous tournament, lost to the world No. 7 Indian pair and did not advance to the semi-finals.
The pair of Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama, who ranked fifth in the world in women's doubles, also lost in the quarterfinals.
Akane Yamaguchi "So that I can gradually enjoy playing"
Akane Yamaguchi, the women's singles player who decided to advance to the semifinals, said, "I was able to play calmly without being overwhelmed by my speed like when I played before. With the support of the Japanese fans, I'm gradually enjoying playing. I want to play well tomorrow.”
Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino pair "Upwards"
Yuta Watanabe, who decided to advance to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles, said, "It wasn't a good flow in the early stages as the opponent took the lead in points, but Higashino was doing his best in the front line, so I was able to calm down and work in the back. I was able to do it. The next opponent is also a strong opponent, so I want to prepare well and face it."
Also, Arisa Higashino said, "I'm honestly happy, but we're aiming for a higher level, so we want to keep fighting without letting our guard down. Tomorrow's opponent is tall and has a quick smash, but we'll take it from receiving to attacking. I want to be able to go," he said.