Badminton: Defending women's champ Akane Yamaguchi into worlds q'finals

Japanese defending champion Akane Yamaguchi reached the women's singles quarterfinals of badminton's BWF World Championships on Thursday by beating 14th-seeded compatriot Sayaka Takahashi in straight games.Yamaguchi, the winner last year in Huelva, Spain, and the top seed, was made to work before taking the first game 21-18 but cruised 21-7 in the second to clinch the round-of-16 win in 36 minutes at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium."I didn't rush and could play at my pace," said Yamaguchi, who varied the speed on her shots in the second game when she scored seven straight points.Related coveragREAD FULL ARTICLE