Denmark Open: Carolina Marin goes down fighting to Akane Yamaguchi, misses spot in final

Odense: Spanish shuttler Carolina Marin nearly pulled off yet another nail-biting victory at the Denmark Open Superseries but ended up going down 15-21, 21-19, 18-21 to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-final at Odense. [caption id=“attachment_3067670” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File .photo of Carolina Marin. Reuters[/caption] The reigning Olympic women’s singles gold medallist and two-time world champion was unable to overcome the diminutive but powerful Yamaguchi, who equalled her head-to-head record against the Spanish great at 2-2, on Saturday reports Efe. The eighth-seeded Japanese won the first game and took a lead in the second but Marin bounced back strongly to clinch the second game. Marin rallied on the strength of accurate and powerful smashes – some struck at speeds of up to 322km (200 miles) per hour – and errors by Yamaguchi to force the decider. The Spaniard, who was struggling with a thigh injury took a medical timeout before the start of the third game. Wearing a bandage when she returned to the court, Marin’s movement was clearly restricted but she continued to fight for a fourth straight third-game victory and a berth in the final. Yamaguchi, however, showed her mettle as well to hold on for a tough victory against a ferocious competitor.