Three days of scintillating action simmered down to an epic evening of Semi-Finals action in Adelaide.
The Regional Champions from Australia, Setyana Mapasa and Gronya Somerville, got the night off to a winning start, followed by a string of thrillers, including a slight scare for Malaysia’s Tan Boon Heong and Shia Chun Kang.
Men’s Singles
Tze Yong Ng was fast off the blocks as a string of consecutive points in the opening game caught the seventh seed by surprise. Chia tried to fight back, but the underdog from Malaysia proved too good in this evening’s Semi-Finals.
Meanwhile, Chen Chi Ting made a sterling effort in the second game against Korea’s Lee Hyun Il. At one point, it looked certain that he would take the ex-World number 1 to three games, but Lee’s experience shone through as he eventually recovered to win in two games.
Tze Yong Ng (MAS) vs Chia Hao Lee (TPE)[7] 21-11 21-14
Lee Hyun Il (KOR)[1] vs Chen Chi Ting (TPE) 21-10 24-22
Women’s Singles
With one match point at 20-19 in the final game, Natsumi’s Singles game came to an agonising end as she confidently left Natsuki’s clear which found the very back corner. Natsuki bought it back level and took the match on her first time of asking.
In the only discipline to include three-game thrillers this evening, Japan showed their strength in the Women’s Singles, with both winners coming from one game behind to secure their space in tomorrow’s Finals.
Natsuki Nidaira (JPN) vs Natsumi Shimoda (JPN) 16-21 21-18 22-20
Yukino Nakai (JPN) vs Tung Ciou-Tong (TPE) 16-21 21-11 21-15
Men’s Doubles
There was no messing around by the Korean’s in the Men’s Doubles. The pair powered Philippines’ Philip and Paul, who weren’t able to produce the same aggression which lead them to victory over the first seeds last night.
Meanwhile, Tan Boon Heong and Shia Chun Kang were up against stiff competition this evening, having to work extra hard to make it into tomorrow’s Final, where they’ll be competing for their second title as a pair.
Kim Dukyoung/Kim Sa Rang (KOR) vs Philip Joper Escueta/Paul John Pantig (PHI) 21-13 21-6
Shia Chun Kang/Tan Boon Heong (MAS) vs Chen Xin-Yuan/Lin Yu Chieh (TPE) 27-25 21-18
Women’s Doubles
The Malaysian’s brought a strong game against Australia’s Golden girls, Gronya and Setyana, Retaliating with cross court net shots to answer to Setyana’s highly deceptive technique, they were in reach of both games, but the Ozzie duo powered through, ending on one of the longest rallies of their match.
In tomorrow’s final, they’ll face Japan’s Rin and Kie who outshined their opponents this evening. Despite a relatively close first game, the Japanese duo did not take their foot off the pedal and didn’t even allow their opponents to make double figures.
Setyana Mapasa/Gronya Somerville (AUS) vs Tan Pearly Koong Le/Muralitharan Thinaah (MAS) 21-18 21-18
Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (JPN)[4] vs Sun Wen Pei/Wu Fang Chien (TPE) 21-17 21-7
Mixed Doubles
Canada’s Joshua and Joesphine remain on track to satisfy their first seed status with a consistent performance in tonight’s Semi-Finals. Meanwhile, Ming Chuen and Yingzi weren’t able to capitalise on their earlier victory against the second seeds as they narrowly missed out against Indonesia’s Dejan and Serena.
- Joshua Hurlburt-Yu/Josephine Wu (CAN)[1] vs Chi Yu Jen/Lin Xiao Min (TPE) 21-16 21-14
- Dejan Ferdinansyah/Serena Kani (INA) vs Ming Chuen Lim/Yingzi Jiang (AUS) 21-19 21-13
Find out more statistics from tonight’s Semi-Finals on Tournament Software.
The Finals will begin at 10am tomorrow morning. You can watch all five Finals for free on the live stream, powered by OVO.