Imperious Akane Yamaguchi stands tall in Japan and delivers titles not once but twice at home ground

Gold medallist Akane Yamaguchi of Japan poses on the podium after beating An Se-young of South Korea in the women's singles final on day six of the Japan Open badminton tournament in Osaka on September 4, 2022. - AFP

OSAKA, Sept 5, 2022 (AFP) - Home favourites Kenta Nishimoto and Akane Yamaguchi thrilled the crowd at badminton's Japan Open in Osaka on Sunday (Sept 4), winning the men's and women's singles titles for the host country.

World number 21 Nishimoto stunned Taiwan's number four seed Chou Tien-chen 21-19, 21-23, 21-17 to finally claim his first international title, having lost in his previous six final appearances.