The winner of the women’s singles at last week’s YONEX Sydney International 2022, Sung Shuo Yun, doubles up on final appearances as she became the first player to book her spot this evening. Her opponent (Shiori Saito) was leading at the halfway mark in both games, but the second seed’s professionalism prevailed throughout the long rallies which saw two close games end after 45 minutes on court.
The women’s singles will be the only discipline to see the top two seeds through to the final as Vietnam’s top seed, Thuy Linh Nguyen, brought an end to Manami Suizu’s impressive run at her first international tournament.
- Sung Shuo Yun (TPE)[2] vs Shiori Saito (JPN) 21-17 21-18
- Thuy Linh Nguyen (VIE)[1] vs Manami Suizu (JPN) 21-11 21-15
“On court I always say to myself I have to keep fighting every point. Every player I meet here, I know I have to play good. I try not to think too much about the person I am playing, but I have to focus on myself and my match as it progresses. I am looking to get world ranking points to get a head start for Olympic qualifying.“, says Thuy Linh Nguyen.
Also aiming for two consecutive titles, Lin Chun-Yi (Chinese Taipei) is through to the men’s singles final following his solid performance this evening. Yesterday, he had a repeat of Sydney’s final which he won in a more convincing fashion and the world number 79 is showing no signs of slowing down. In tomorrow’s final he will have to face fellow compatriot and sixth seed Su Li Yang.
- Lin Chun-Yi (TPE)[2] vs Riki Takei (TPE) 21-17 21-15
- Su Li Yang (TPE)[6] vs Yushi Tanaka (JPN)[9] 21-10 22-20
Chinese Taipei’s Chang and Lee made up for last week’s semifinal exit in Sydney, going one better in Bendigo to make tomorrow’s mixed doubles final. The pair ended the heroic efforts of Japan’s Kazuhiro and Yui who have battled their way through the draws right from one of the very first matches in Wednesday’s qualification stages.
Another Japanese pair stands in their way as Sumiya and Minami overwhelmed the second seeds this evening. Their first two games were tight, but the Japanese stormed ahead in the third to win by a large margin.
- Chang Ko-Chi/Lee Chih Chen (TPE) vs Kazuhiro Ichikawa/Yui Suizu (JPN) 20-22 22-20 21-10
- Sumiya Nihei/Minami Asakura (JPN)[3] vs Ye Hong Wei/Lee Chia Hsin (TPE) 21-19 17-21 21-6
Fervent yells filled the hall during an epic men’s doubles clash between last week’s winners (Lee and Lee) and Japan’s speedy Muramoto and Umayahara. While under remarkable pressure, the Japanese duo saved two match points to take the game into a decider, which they were leading at halfway. However a run of four consecutive points paved the way for Sydney’s reigning champions to take the victory after 70 minutes on court. They will take on fellow compatriots Chang and Po tomorrow – who made up for last week’s semifinal exit in an equally entertaining three-game thriller this evening.
- Fang-Chih Lee/Fang-Jen Lee (TPE)[4] vs Ryoman Muramoto/Daiki Umayahara (JPN) 21-16 22-24 21-17
- Ko-Chi Chang/Li-Wei Po (TPE)[3] vs Kazuhiro Ichikawa/Kohtaro Miyajima (JPN) 21-19 15-21 21-18
The entertainment did not stop there as both women’s doubles semifinals contended over three long games. A place in the final really was anyone’s for the taking. For Chang, Yang, Kawashima and Saito, there was no more than two points between the pairs in the third and deciding game. Ultimately, it was last week’s runners up (Chang and Yang) who earned another opportunity to win a title after strenuously breaking down the Japanese duo in 62 minutes. They almost faced a repeat of last week’s final, if it wasn’t for Lee and Teng defeating Sydney’s champions, Sung and Yu, in their encounter.
- Ching Hui Chang/Ching Tun Yang (TPE)[4] vs Minami Kawashima/Natsu Saito (JPN) 21-19 18-21 21-18
- Chia Hsin Lee/Chun Hsun Teng (TPE)[3] vs Shuo Yun Sung/Chien Hui Yu (TPE) 21-15 17-21 21-16
Check out all results from today’s semifinals on Tournament Software.
The finals will start at 10am (local time, AEDT) on Sunday 16 October. All matches will be available to watch for free on the live stream, via Badminton Oceania’s YouTube Channel.
