LEAD: Asian Games: Japan reach women's team final in badminton

DOHA, Dec. 4 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

Kaori Mori and Eriko Hirose won their singles matches Monday to help Japan beat Singapore 3-0 and reach the women's team final of the Asian Games badminton competition for the first time in 20 years.

Mori beat Li Li 21-19, 21-11 and doubles pair Kumiko Ogura and Reiko Shiota followed with a 23-12, 21-14 win over Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia before Hirose edged Xing Aiying 21-14, 12-21, 21-18 to close out the tie, setting up a meeting with China in the final.

Two-time defending champion China, which has won seven of the last eight women's team titles, downed South Korea 3-0 in the other semifinal. Japan last won the event at the 1970 Games in Bangkok.

''I wanted to win badly today because I feel my contribution to the team wasn't good enough in the group stage,'' two-time national champion Mori said. ''I lost to Li Li in the singles four years ago in Busan and I tried to prove that I've grown into a better player.''

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