South Korean Lee Hyun Il, last year's runnerup in the men's singles competition, rallied from behind Sunday to defeat world No. 1 Xia Xuanze of China in the final of the Yonex Open badminton championships.
The fifth-seeded Lee battled back from a set down to capture a stunning 5-7, 7-5, 0-7, 7-5, 7-2 victory -- the first ever for a South Korean in the singles events -- over the top seed at Yoyogi National Gymnasium Annex.
In the women's single final, top-seed Zhou Mi of China cruised to victory as she defended her title over compatriot Dai Yun 7-1, 7-0, 7-1 in the fifth consecutive year Chinese players have played against each other in the final.