There was disappointment for Japan's world No 1 women's doubles pair Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi but Malaysia's world No 1 Lee Chong Wei nailed his sixth title in the USD300,000 Yonex Japan Open Superseries on Sunday.
Newly crowned Olympic champions Misaki-Ayaka were not able to repeat their Rio de Janeiro performance at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium against Denmark's Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl.
The lanky Danes gained sweet revenge for their defeat in Rio with a come-from-behind 19-21, 21-18, 21-12 win in a 75-minute final and in the process became the first Europeans in 25 years to win the Japan Open. It was also their third Superseries title.
The Danish pair was grinning from ear to ear with their success on the Japanese turf which also ended their six-match losing streak at the hands their opponents. Misaki-Ayaka went into the match with a 8-4 lead in the head to head count.
In the Rio Olympics final the Japanese pair won the gold medal match with a 18-21, 21-9, 21-19 win – snatching victory from the jaws of defeat when the Danes led 20-16 in the rubber by reeling off five points in a row.
Misaki-Ayaka's defeat also meant the Japanese finished empty handed in the Japan Open after last year's champion Nozomi Okuhara was beaten in the quarter-finals by last year's runner-up Akane Yamaguchi (21-11, 23-21).
Akane in turn was stopped in the semi-finals by China's Sun Yu (21-17, 21-18) while another Japanese hope Aya Ohori was beaten by He Bingjiao of China (21-17, 22-20) for a place in the final.
RESULTS (All-Finals)
Men's singles
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Jan O Jorgensen (Den) 21-18, 15-21, 21-16
Men's doubles
Li Junhui-Liu Yucehn (Chn) beat Kim Gi-jung-Ko Sung-hyun (Kor) 21-12, 21-12
Women's singles
He Bingjiao (Chn) beat Sun Yu (Chn) 21-14, 7-21, 21-18
Women's doubles
Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) beat Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) 19-21, 21-18, 21-12
Mixed doubles
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na (Kor) 21-10, 21-15
