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Akane Yamaguchi beats world No. 65 in straight games to reach Korea Open semis

Japan's world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi saw off Indonesia's 20-year-old Ni Kadek Dinda Amartya Pratiwi 2-0 in Yeosu and is into the Korea Open semifinals.

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Japanese badminton player Akane Yamaguchi leaps to hit a smash during a women's singles match at the Korea Open in Yeosu.
Image: 조선일보

No upset this time. Akane Yamaguchi, Japan's top women's singles player, is through to the semifinals of the Korea Open.

The 29-year-old, ranked world No. 2, met Indonesia's rising talent Ni Kadek Dinda Amartya Pratiwi in Friday's quarterfinal at the Jinnam Gymnasium in Yeosu, South Korea. Pratiwi is 20 and ranked 65th in the world. Yamaguchi won in straight games, 2-0.

The event is a BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament, part of the world badminton federation's regular international circuit.

There is plenty of local interest this week, too. A day earlier, South Korea's An Se-young, the 2024 Olympic champion, powered into the quarterfinals of the same tournament, with a run of Japanese rivals in her path.

For Yamaguchi, the job on Friday was simple: take care of business against a lower-ranked opponent. She did exactly that, and now she moves on to the last four.

#badminton#korea open#akane yamaguchi#bwf world tour#yeosu
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An Se-young at Korea Open badminton · 4 updates

See the full timeline →
  1. An Se-young wins Olympic women's badminton singles gold in Paris
  2. An Se-young wins the 2025 All England Open women's singles title
  3. An Se-young storms into Korea Open quarterfinals, eyeing a run of Japanese rivals
  4. Akane Yamaguchi beats world No. 65 in straight games to reach Korea Open semis

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