Yokohama: World No. 29 Alex Lanier of France beat World No. 10 Chou Chen Tien of Taiwan in straight sets in the final of the 2024 Japan Open and became the youngest player ever to win the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.
19-year-old Alex Lanier emerged as the dark horse of the 2024 Japan Open, and on Sunday, he capped off his remarkable run with a spectacular victory in Yokohama.
Highlights of Alex Lanier vs. Chou Tien Chen in the 2024 Japan Open final:
In the final, he triumphed over Chou Tien Chen in two sets 21-17, 22-20. Most importantly, he mounted a remarkable comeback in the first set, after trailing 10-17, and then unbelievably scored the next 11 consecutive points to win the first game while surprisingly Chou didn’t score any more points in that set.
In the second set, Lanier was in control but started to lose momentum, falling behind 12-15. Yet again, he fought back and tied the score at 15-15, setting up a dramatic conclusion. Despite making some errors, Lanier kept his composure and secured the final set 22-20, marking the biggest win of his career.
Not sure how he did it, but Lanier kicked off an impressive week by knocking out several top badminton stars on his way to the final.
1st Round: Victory over Lee Zii Jia (World No. 6) 21-18, 21-13
2nd Round: Victory over Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (World No. 34) 21-14, 21-13
Quarterfinal: Victory over Kenta Nishimoto (World No. 11) 21-14, 21-14
Semifinal: Victory over Shi Yuqi (World No. 1) 17-21, 21-16, 21-18
Final: Victory over Chou Tien Chen (World No. 10) 21-17, 22-20
Lanier is currently ranked 29th in the world, but he is expected to make a significant leap up the world rankings when they are updated next Tuesday.
Viktor Axelsen won the tournament last year, and the list of past champions also includes big names like Lee Chong Wei (2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016), Lin Dan (2005, 2006, 2015), Peter Gade (1998, 1999), Kento Momota (2018, 2019).
In women’s singles, home favorite Akane Yamaguchi gave the home crowd something to cheer about when she beat Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 21-11, 21-10 for the women’s singles crown. This was Yamaguchi’s fourth Japan Open title, after winning the championship in 2013, 2019, and 2022.
