Reigning Japan Open champion, Alex Lanier has reached the final after defeating home favourite Koki Watanabe 21-19, 21-15.
In the opening game, Lanier sat on five match points. Watanabe then gave the Frenchman a bit of a scare with four points in a row, but he got over the line. Showing great composure for a young man. The second game was much more controlled.
It was not long ago when Lanier was making his first steps on the World Tour. But the last couple of years has been a defining period for French badminton, and Lanier has been at the forefront of the wave. Now he is on the brink of another Super 750 title.
Unlucky end to a great match
China’s Shi Yu Qi is yet another final, but it wasn’t plane sailing. Another Frenchman, Christo Popov, has been having a great week and pushed the number three seed all the way.
The first game was one-way traffic but the second was something special. A great battle that went to settings. Shi got the win in strange circumstances, the umpire called fault on Popov when he thought he’d won a net kill to make it 27-27. Instead, it was 28-26 and the match.
Shi will face Lanier in the final tomorrow.