Joachim Fischer and Christinna Pedersen (pictured), the 2014 European Champions, kept one's nerves in today’s Yonex Japan Open Superseries (275.000 US Dollars) finals as they saved one match point in the rubber-game against the World and Olympic champions, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei of China. The Danes upset the top-seeded pair and three-time champions from China 17-21, 21-18, 23-21 to win the Japan Open title for the first time.

It’s the first title for a pair from Europe since 1995 - when their compatriots Thomas Lund and Marlene Thomsen took the prestigious Tokyo title.

Lin Dan beats Viktor Axelsen to take men’s singles title

Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan won the men's singles event on Sunday with a victory over European hopeful and world number six, Viktor Axelsen (pictured) of Denmark. Lin Dan, the two-time Olympic gold-medalist and five-time world champion, defeated the 21-year-old Dane in three games 21-19, 16-21, 21-19.

Click here for photos of the Yonex Japan Open finals.

But the Chinese was forced to work hard for his victory. The fifth seed battled back from a 14-11 deficit to take the opening game. Axelsen then secured the second game in style, sending the match into a deciding game, where he looked to be running away with the match in the final game, building a comfortable 11-3 lead. But somehow Lin Dan turned on the class to romp home to an impressive victory, his second of 2015.

“I'm of course really disappointed as I had my chances to take the title. Lin Dan was simply better than me in the end of the match”, said Axelsen after the match via Facebook.



Pedersen/Juhl “struggled mentally”

Kamilla Rytter-Juhl and Christinna Pedersen, 2014 European Champions, lost in the final to Zhao Yunlei/Zhong Qianxin of China in straight games 12-21, 16-21.

“We really didn't have a chance today, especially in the first game we didn't manage to find the energy. In the second game we made a better fight -but in the end the Chinese took the victory.  Right now, we are of course disappointed because we really wanted to make a better effort, but mentally we were struggling. Next week is Korea Open and we have to build up energy again”, posted the Danish pair on their official Facebook profile.

In the women's singles final local star Akane Yamaguchi, the winner of the Japan Open in 2013, failed to reclaim the crown when she went down against her compatriot Nozomi Okuhara. World champion Carolina Marin (Spain) lost to Wang Shixian (China) in the quarter-finals.

The finals results:

MS: Lin Dan (CHN) bt Viktor Axelsen (DEN) 21-19, 16-21, 21-19
WS: Nozomi Okuhara (JPN) bt Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) 21-18, 21-12
MD: Lee Yong-dae/Yoo Yeon-seong (KOR) bt Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan (CHN) 21-19, 29-27
WD: Zhao Yunlei/Zhong Qianxin (CHN) bt Christinna Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN) 21-12, 21-16
XD: Joachim Fischer/Christinna Pedersen (DEN) bt Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei (CHN) 17-21, 21-18, 23-21

Click here for all results of the Yonex Japan Open 2015
Click here for all results of the event since 1984

Article by Manuel Rösler. Photos (LIVE) by BadmintonPhoto.