Top seed Wang lifts maiden All England crown
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World No. 1 Wang Shixian of China won her first All England women's singles crown yesterday, battling past brave Japanese Eriko Hirose 24-22, 21-18 in Birmingham.
Unseeded Hirose was the first Japanese to reach the final since 1979 and fought all the way but Wang proved too strong despite a troublesome ankle.
Wang said, "The last few points were very crucial and if I had lost and had to play a third game it would have been very difficult."
Hirose, acutely conscious of the devastating tsunami at home, said, "I'm sad not to have won to try to give a boost to the Japanese people back home."
The women's doubles crown also went to China as third seeds Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang brushed aside the Japanese duo of Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa 21-2, 21-9.
Four-time champion Lin Dan of China was taking on Malaysian top seed Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles final after Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, the Danish top seeds, beat Malaysia's Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in the men's doubles final.
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