Highlights, Japan Open Superseries Final, results: Viktor Axelsen beats Lee Chong Wei; Carolina Marin wins gold

Carolina Marín alza el Super Series de Japón #SSJapon ¡Siempre en primera línea! 🏸🇪🇸❤️🏆 https://t.co/G8EJdtA9cJ pic.twitter.com/ezLAZwMKWb

— 🏸 Bádminton España (@BadmintonESP) September 24, 2017

.@ViktorAxelsen wins #JapanSS, becomes first 🇩🇰 to lift title in 18 years

India Open 🏆
World C'ships 🏆
Japan Open 🏆https://t.co/6P9GdbHsT2 pic.twitter.com/2NO9DGgsji

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

The World Champion adds another title to his name.

2nd Superseries title of the year for Viktor Axelsen. Give it up for #JapanSS champion! pic.twitter.com/Ta8tjQe9zI

— Premier Badminton League (@PBLIndiaLive) September 24, 2017

Viktor Axelsen beats Lee Chong Wei: 21-14, 14-21, 21-14

The Dane continues his rampant form in yet another mega event and bags his maiden Japan Open title with an impressive win over defending champion Lee in three games. The match lasted for more than an hour and Axelsen stole the show with his overall game and dominated the proceedings in the decider

With that deceptive smash, Axelsen is just two points away from winning the championship. Leads 19-9

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18-8! Axelsen is just in demolition mode. He knows where to hit and how much power it will take to down six-time winner Lee.

17-6! An eleven-point advantage for the Dane in the decider. This puts him in the driver’s seat. The shot selection in the decider has been top notch.

Axelsen wins 5 successive points to go 15-4 up. Lee needs to conjure something special to win this
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13-4! Lee is making numerous errors at the net. His returns have hit the frame and Axelsen is loving it at the other end.

The Dane has been on demolition mode. #Axelsen leads 11-4 in the decider
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10-2! An eight-point lead for the Dane in the decider. Axelsen uses his tall height to his advantage while playing winners and defensive shots. 

Just a reminder, Axelsen squandered an eight-point lead at the mid-game interval of the decider in the final two years ago against Lin Dan. However, he is a different player right now.

What a point! What a smash! Axelsen wins that 51 shot rally to lead 8-2! in the decider
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7-2! Axelsen maintains his five-point lead over Lee in the third game of the men’s singles final. The start tells you everything how clinical Axelsen is during pressure situations.

5-0 in no time. What is Axelsen up to? This is carnage. 

Viktor Axelsen is a man in a hurry. Opens up a 5-point lead early in the decider. Leads 5-0
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Lee Chong Wei takes second game: 21-19

The Malaysian ace comes from behind to draw level and force the match into a decider in the men’s singles final against Axelsen. The kind of composure he showed against the Dane was second to none. A couple of errors at the net by Axelsen allowed Lee to make a comeback.

18-18! Four straight points for Lee to draw level in the second game against Axelsen. It is surely a see-saw battle between the two.

It is vintage Lee as the Malaysian reduces the deficit to a single point. Axelsen leads 18-17
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14-17! A great winner (367 KPH) by Lee stops Axelsen from winning his eighth point on the trot. Axelsen is looking to finish the job as early as he can. Lee must mix his shots well now.

Axelsen wins 6 straight points to lead 16-13! He is clearly in no mood for a decider
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15-13! Axelsen is unstoppable at the moment. He wins five straight points to shift the momentum in his favour. Lee is out of strokes

13-13! Axelsen strikes back to level the scores. Notably, he repositioned himself after losing points at the forecourt. What a humdinger of second game this is!

13-10! Lee is looking in good touch after losing the opening game quite easily. He has stretched the Dane with a couple of strong smashes.

It is advantage Lee at the break. Leads 11-10. Will the 6-time champion push the match into a decider
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9-9! A very tense battle at the net right now. Both the shuttlers are covering the court well to hit clean returns.

9-7! A two-point lead for Lee. The last 6 points have gone in the Malaysian ace’s favour.

7-6! Axelsen fails to execute a net shot which allows Lee to take a slender one-point lead in the second game.

One more rally and one more point for Lee who is now on level with Axelsen at 6-6 in second game
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— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

6-4! Incredible deceptive shot from the Dane to restore his two-point lead. 

Lee was expecting a crosscourt drop but Axelsen drills it straight down the middle of the court.

4-5! The longest rally of the match so far. A 50-shot rally goes in favour of Lee as Axelsen fails to send the shuttle across the net with a cheeky wrist shot.

5-3! The confidence of Axelsen since winning the gold in Glasgow is terrific. He leads by tow points against Lee

3-3! A superb crosscourt smash by Lee to level the scores in the second game. He needs more than what he has done in the past two tournaments to cause problems for Axelsen.

Scores level at 2-2 in second game. Lee is back on court after a brief break for medical attention
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— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

Viktor Axelsen wins opening game 21-14

Lee Chong Wei has clearly struggled to match up to the pace of Axelsen in the first hurdle. It just took 21 minutes for the Dane to unsettle six-time winner Lee. The mix of crosscourt shots and straight smashes are proving to be a handful for the Malaysian.

The Dane is thwarting any sort of resurgence from Lee. Axelsen is on game point. Score at 20-13
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19-13! Lee is feeling the pressure in the dying stages of the first game. He overhits a backhand shot which lands wide and gifts a point to Axelsen.

17-10! The rallies are starting to develop now. Lee is a natural rally player and he can still make a comeback with the help of his strong backhand. Axelsen has the reach to defend almost anything.

16-9! Axelsen is running away with a healthy lead in the first hurdle of this much-anticipated final. Lee has struggled at the net, while the Dane has dictated the play.

What a series of smashes by Axelsen to go 16-7 up in the opening game
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14-7! A strong forehand smash takes Lee by surprise. The Dane can hit a lethal shot out of nowhere.

13-6! A good seven-point lead for Axelsen over Lee in the opening game. The Dane looks sharper after the mid-game interval.

Axelsen is in red-hot form. The lanky Dane has the ability to unsettle his opponent with strong backhand drives and attacking strokes at the net. 

#Axelsen has a 5-point advantage over Lee in the break of opening game. Leads 11-6!
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— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

5-8! That’s four straight points for the Malaysian ace. Clinical and control net shots to close the gap on Axelsen’s lead in the opening game.

8-1! A healthy six-point advantage for the Danish shuttler against Lee. Axelsen is making complete use of his height and reach to ploy deep smashes.

#Axelsen opens up an early lead. The World Champion leads 4-1 in the opening game
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2-0! Axelsen starts confidently against Lee Chong Wei in the early stages of the opening game.

Viktor Axelsen vs Lee Chong Wei

Today’s showpiece final will have surprises and more so from the in-form Dane, who for the first time, appears as the firm favourite against Lee. Having maintained a 100 percent record in the competition with back-to-back straight-game wins en route to final, the 2017 India Superseries champion has become the man to beat.

What makes Axelsen a difficult opponent to take on is the range of shots he has in his armoury. The 21-17, 21-17 win over Srikanth showed how well he can mix his shots from the forecourt, while the 21-16, 21-16 score against Son indicated that Axelsen’s admirable attacking prowess can turn the game around in no time.

“I knew it would be tough. Son Wan Ho is world No 1 for good reason but I am really happy with my attacking game. There were a few mistakes but I handled the situation well,” 23-year-old Axelsen was quoted by saying the official BWF website.

“I respect Lee Chong Wei a lot. He has won so many tournaments and I have only beaten him once. Tomorrow will be really tough but I am looking forward to it,” he added.

History will favour the experienced Malaysian over the giant-killer Dane in the final of yet another mega event. There is no hiding that with age, it is getting tougher for the 34-year-old ace, but after crumbling to second place finishes at numerous events, Lee isn’t going to let Axelsen run away with the gold medal.

.@CarolinaMarin ends 22-month Superseries title-drought 🙌

Her last title before #JapanSS was 2015 Hong Kong Openhttps://t.co/6P9GdbHsT2 pic.twitter.com/7tVcSmjhba

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

Carolina Marin beats He Bingjiao: 23-21, 21-12

It took 53 minutes for the Olympic champion to beat the defending champion He Bingjiao in straight games. After a steady start, He crumbled under pressure and gave away three game-points, while it was Marin magic in the second. She ended her 22-month title-drought at Superseries events after winning the 2015 All England Championship. Since then, she has been four finals but she has failed to take gold. 

11-19! Can He actually stun Marin in the second game? Marin is feeling the heat.

9-18! That’s five back-to-back points for He. The Chinese needs a miracle to snatch this second game from Marin. She still trails by nine points against Marin.

5-18! Consolation for He as the young Chinese shuttler wins two straight points at the net. Too late!

Marin wins 10 straight points to lead 17-3 in the second game. What a dominance by the Spaniard
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16-3! He just cannot lift the shuttle and retrieve after an impressive first game. The Chinese shuttler has been trying to hit backhand shots but Marin is finishing those with deceptive shots.

14-3! That’s seven successive points for Marin to further extend her lead and outmuscle her opponent in the second game. The Chinese shuttler has failed to recover from the narrow loss in the opening game.

Marin scores 4 successive points and now has an 8-point advantage to lead 11-3 in the mid-game break
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10-3! Four straight points for the Spaniard. She opens up a 7-point lead over He in the second game. Utter dominance from the mid-court.

Marin is running away with the lead in the second stanza. Her shots from the mid-court has been troubling the Chinese shuttler at the net. 

8-3! Marin opens up an impressive 5-point lead in the second game
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4-2! Marin is on the front foot in the second game. She is approaching the second game differently than the first, where she struggled to judge the shuttle speed.

Carolina Marin wins opening game: 23-21

What a roller-coaster first game in the women’s singles final. The Spaniard saves three game-points to claim the first game in 31 minutes. Marin played differently after the mid-game interval and was rubbing shoulders with He. She took her chances and took a 1-0 lead.

22-21! Marin saves three game-points in total to take the advantage of the first game against the defending champions. We have reached the 30-minute mark.

20-20! Extra points required to separate the two in-form shuttlers

He Bingjiao squanders two game-points to allow Marin claw back into the game. Where is this opening game heading?

2 game-point opportunities for the defending champion He. She leads 20-18 in the opening game
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19-18! The Chinese shuttler has frustrated Marin with her net shots despite being stretched at the sidelines. She leads by a single point as we approach the end of the opening game.

18-17! After a 10-shot rally, He hits an unplayable winner (328 KPH) to take a slender one-point lead over Marin. It’s still tight in the opening game. 24 minutes gone already!

The roller-coaster of a Final now stands at 17-17
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— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

16-14! That crosscourt net shot was right from the top drawer. Marin is such an aggressive shuttler despite her defensive prowess being the most effective tool.

He smashes her way back into the game to level scores at 14-14. Cracker of a Final !!
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— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

14-12! He is being floored again. Marin takes five points on the trot to put the Chinese under pressure. Fantastic forecourt movement.

12-12! This time, Marin wins three successive points. She uses the drift to hit deep backhand shots. It’s a close affair in the opening game.

12-10! He maintains a two-point lead over the Olympic gold medallist. The Chinese shuttler is a rally player herself, so shots from the backcourt shouldn’t be an issue

It is advantage He Bingjiao! She leads Marin 11-9 at the mid-game interval of the opening game. A good start to the match for the defending champion.

FOUR STRAIGHT POINTS! 

The defending champion He wins 4 points on the trot to lead 9-8 in the opening game
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8-8! The Chinese wins three straight points to draw level in the opening game. She has a strong backhand and should make full use of it.

5-7! He plays a classy crosscourt drop shot to stretch Marin at the net. This is what the Chinese must adhere to if she wants to stop the Spaniard from running away with the lead.

Marin has opened up a 3-point lead to go 7-4 up in the opening game
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— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

5-3! Excellent movement and shot selection by Marin to take a two-point advantage in the early stages of the opening game.

2-2! Good start by both Marin and He. Although, the Spaniard has hit two consecutive attacking strokes. The Chinese shuttler should be careful at the net.

Carolina Marin vs He Bingjiao

It’s a battle between fifth seed vs sixth seed in the final of women’s singles. Marin enters the final not as a favourite since her opponent, He is a defending champion and is in sublime form in recent times. However, the Spaniard enjoys a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head meetings between the two. Also, never ever has a women’s singles shuttler retained the title in Tokyo, making this summit clash even more interesting.

Defending champion He Bingjiao enters the court to face 5th seed @CarolinaMarin in the WS final

LIVE: https://t.co/6P9GdbHsT2 #JapanSS

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) September 24, 2017

Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping win Japan Open Superseries title

The unseeded Chinese pair defeated qualifier Takuro Hoki and Sayaka Hirota of Japan 21-13, 21-8 in just 32 minutes to claim the gold in Tokyo. Incredible attacking from Wang did the trick for the Chinese pair, while Hoki and Hirota had no answer whatsoever.

Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon win Japan Open Superseries title

A world class performance from the Indonesian pair to lift their fourth Superseries title in 2017 so far. Remember, there is a possibility of bagging more medals as four Superseries tournaments await. 

Crowd favourite pair of Takuto and Yuki did not trouble the third seed duo as they succumbed to the pressure right from the beginning. 

Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon claim opening game: 21-12

The Indonesian pair clears the first hurdle comfortably. They are not the most hard-hitting players, but they have enough firepower to unsettle the opponent. An easy opening game gives them a 1-0 lead in the final of the men’s doubles against Takuto Inoue and Yuki Kaneko

Japan's #MisakiMatsutumo and #AyakaTakahashi prevail in a 55-min encounter to win their second #JapanSS title
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Home favourites Misaki Matsutumo and Ayaka Takahashi prevail over South Korea’s Kim Ha Na and Hee Yong Kong in straight games 21-18, 21-16. This is the second Japan Open Superseries title for the top seeds. The Korean pair didn’t quite prove to be a threat for the local favourites who ensured they never lost the momentum. Matsutumo and Takahashi won their first Superseries title in 2014 at this same tournament and were finalists in the previous edition. This time, they went one step above to end up winners and proved worthy of their top billing.

11-9! The Japanese pair hold a slight advantage over their Korean opponents going into the mid-game interval in the second game

21-18! The top-seeded and 2014 women’s doubles champions Matsutumo and Takahashi draw first blood as they go one step closer to winning their second Japan Open Superseries title

The opening match of the day, the women’s doubles final is underway. The top seeded Japanese pair of Misaki Matsutumo and Ayaka Takahashi are up against the South Korean pair of Kim Ha Na and Hee Yong Kong.

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of the Japan Open Superseries. Today is the last day of this exciting tournament happening in Tokyo. A tournament that was filled with a lot of ups and downs, shocks and upsets, has roller-coastered its way to a tantalising final day. 

Both the singles defending champions will get a shot at retaining their titles as Lee Chong Wei will face a roadblock in the form of World Champion Viktor Axelsen while China’s He Bingjiao will take on Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin. 

We will provide you with the live score and updates from all the crucial matches. Enjoy!