Japan's Okuhara wins her 1st All England badminton title

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) Nozomi Okuhara of Japan marked her 21st birthday with her first All England badminton title after beating two-time champion Wang Shixian of China 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 in a thrilling final on Sunday.

''It's my best birthday ever,'' Okuhara said.

She was behind for most of the decisive game and looked tired, but found the energy to come from 17-14 down to 19-17 ahead, watch Wang tie at 19, move ahead with her first match point, and win it when Wang netted a forehand. Okuhara collapsed at the net in joy, the first Japanese singles winner in 39 years.

Meanwhile, Lin Dan earned his sixth All England badminton title when he routed Chinese teammate Tian Houwei 21-9, 21-10 in their final.