Defending champion and top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei was denied her ninth title this year when Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, the second seed, packed her off with a three-game 22-20, 17-21, 21-13 win in the women’s singles final in the USD750,000 Yonex French Open in Paris on Sunday.
 
It was sweet revenge for the Japanese who had lost to Tzu Ying in last year’s final and stretched her head-to-head advantage to 4-8 on a day when Indonesia’s top seeds in the men’s doubles Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo also fell in the final.
 
The top-ranked Indonesians could not stop the aggressive Chinese pair of Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong who snatched a 23-21, 8-21, 21-17 win in 52 minutes for the title. The Chinese had also beaten the Indonesians in the China Open this year.
 
China’s former world No 1 Chen Long continued his giant-killing feats in Paris. After knocking out current world number one and top seed Kento Momota of Japan 21-18, 21-8 in the semi-finals, the reigning Olympic champion ousted second-seed, compatriot Shi Yuqi 21-17, 21-19 for his first French Open title.
World champions and fifth seeds Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara of Japan snuffed out the only European finalists – Stoeva sisters Gabriela and Stefani of Bulgaria in the women’s doubles final 21-14, 21-19 for the title as Asians swept all five titles at stake. BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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