Japan emerged victorious at the ROBOT Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2017 – Asia’s first mixed team event – with an easier-than-expected 3-0 win over Korea in the final yesterday in Ho Chih Minh City.
Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda’s run of form continued into the final. The Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open champions won their fourth match of the tournament and set the Japanese on the path to victory. Kamura and Sonoda shut out Yoo Yeon Seong/Kim Gi Jung 21-15 21-16 in 43 minutes in their Men’s Doubles opener.
The critical Women’s Singles between Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi and Sung Ji Hyun was expected to be tightly fought, and it was. The two players were neck-and-neck all the way, but Yamaguchi managed to squeeze ahead at the very end of both games, giving Japan a 2-0 lead in 54 minutes: 22-20 23-21.
The Men’s Singles was between two upcoming players. Kenta Nishimoto (featured image) had performed impressively all week, winning three matches and losing one by a narrow margin. On Sunday he was once again sharp all the way through, barely giving Jeon Hyeok Jin a glimpse as he led from start to finish: 21-13 21-16.
BWF Newsletter
