Badminton

Nozomi ends drought

JAPAN'S former world champion Nozomi Okuhara won her first title since November 2018 on Sunday with victory in the Denmark Open final in Odense.

The 25-year-old defeated 2016 Olympic gold medallist and three-time world champion Carolina Marin 21-19, 21-17 in the women's singles final.

"Compared to other opponents, Carolina is faster and has a harder attack. I was focused on defence and footwork, and my feet moved very well today. Overall the match went well," said Nozomi, whose last title came at Hong Kong in 2018, on Sunday.

Carolina admitted she had made too many errors.

"I think the main reason was the mistakes I made. I made all the winners but also all the errors. The game was on me," said the 27-year-old Spanish star.

Meanwhile, Anders Antonsen defeated his childhood friend Rasmus Gemke 18-21, 21-19, 21-12 to become the first Danish men's singles winner in a decade at the tournament.

In the men's doubles final, England's Marcus Ellis-Chris Langridge defeated Russia's Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Sozonov 20-22, 21-17, 21-18 to take the title, while Japan's top seeds Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota edged compatriots Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara 21-10, 16-21, 21-18 in the women's final.

Germany's Mark Lamsfuss-Isabel Herttrich defeated England's Chris Adcock-Gabrielle Adcock 18-21, 21-11, 21-14 for the mixed double crown.

The Denmark Open was the first top-level international badminton tournament in seven months after the calendar was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.--Agencies

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