India Open: An Se Young halts Akane Yamaguchi's run to clinch women's title

New Delhi, January 22: South Korea's World No. 4 An Se Young ended her four-match losing run against two-time World Champion Akane Yamaguchi to clinch the women's singles title of Yonex-Sunrise India Open at KD Jadhav Indoor Hall on Sunday.

Facing her nemesis for the 15th time, Young rallied from a game down to beat Yamaguchi 15-21, 21-16, 21-12 for her fourth win in the duel.

The first game saw the World No. 1 Japanese rule the roost with some quick-fitted movement throughout the court that caught Young off guard. Yamaguchi stretched to an 11-6 lead by the break of the first game and soon closed it at 21-15 with a similar dominant display.

However, what once appeared to be a Japanese cakewalk, soon turned into a fierce even battle with rallies becoming a common sight. The duo was locked in a sea-saw battle with the score reading 12-all at one stage. But the Korean's continued intensity was too hot to take for her 25-year-old rival, who soon gave in the game 21-16
The third game saw the duo tiring each other out over long rallies but Young's ability to find side-court points to perfection often left Yamaguchi out of breath as the Korean pulled up a gap of 13-9 in the decider.

Korean takes charge in third game

The Japanese often tried to draw Young closer to the net but the latter had all the momentum by this time and started dictating the terms of the game. By this point, Young was in complete control of her shots as she found crucial points at the front court to make it 17-11.

Points for Yamaguchi were only coming through Young's error, which was a rare sight on the day, as the latter soon took the title with the Japanese committing a net error.
"Yamaguchi was too quick in the first game, that's why at the break I had to reflect on my game and rethink my strategy. I had self-belief as I am good at making comebacks," said the champion after the game.