Watanabe and Higashino eye home title after revenge over world champions

Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (R) of Japan after a missed shot against Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong of China during their mixed doubles final match at the World Badminton Championships in Tokyo on August 28, 2022. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

PETALING JAYA: Japan’s top mixed doubles pair Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino are out to capture their home Open title after ending China’s Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong’s long unbeaten run this year in the semi-finals at the Maruzen Intec Arena in Osaka yesterday.

The hard-fought 21-17, 12-21, 23-21 victory was sweet revenge for world No. 3 Watanabe-Higashino who had been denied the World Championships title by the Chinese pair ranked one rung higher in Tokyo recently.