Badminton: Olympic gold medallist Marin reaches final of the China Open

Reigning world champion Carolina Marin of Spain faced the 2017 world championship winner Nozomi Okuhara in the semi-finals of the Victor China Open in Changzhou. The 23-year-old Japanese player, who held a 6-3 head-to-head record over Marin, claimed the opening game 21-15. But the Spaniard came from a game down to go through 15-21, 21-12, 21-13, in 65 minutes. Marin will face China's number five seed Chen Yufei in the women's singles final. In men's doubles, Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmuussen took on Chen Hung Lin and Wang Chi Lin of Chinese Taipei. Astrup produced a fine around-the-the back return before the Danes cruised into the final courtesy of a 21-13, 21-19 win. The European champions will meet China's Han Chengkai and Zhou Haodong in the final on Sunday (23rd September). In mixed doubles, Zhang Nan and Li Yinhui of China defeated compatriots Wang Yilyu and Huang Dong ping in three games, 21-10, 19-21, 21-14. They will take on Asian Games winners Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, who are also from China. Finally, in women's doubles Japanese shuttlers Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, the world champions, defeated Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva of Bulgaria.