Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty stunned top ranked Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of Korea for the first time to storm into the final of the Singapore Open badminton championships.
Having lost both of their previous two meetings against the top seeds, the Indian duo carved out a 52-minute 21-19, 21-18 in a fast paced men’s doubles finals.
It will be their second final appearance this season, having lost to Indonesian’s Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin at the Thailand Open earlier this year. Satwiksairaj-Chirag are also looking for their first title in two years.
The last meeting between the two pairs was at the China Masters finals last year with victory going the Korean’s way.
Satwiksairaj-Chirag will take Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. The Indonesian top seeds were up against China’s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang, who put up a Jeckyl and Hyde performance. The Indonesian pair won 23-21, 21-4 to book their final berth.
The Indonesians had beaten the Indian veterans in the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Open in January, and will be looking to repeat the success.
China are assured of the women’s doubles title with their pairs winning their respective semi-final ties.
Top seed Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning defeated Koreans Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee 21-15, 21-10 while Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian were equally impressive in getting past the Japanese duo of Arisa Igarashi-Chiharu Shida 21-13, 21-14.
In the women’s singles Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi put an ends to a six match losing streak to second seeded Wang Zhiyi of China to make the final.
The three time world champion weathered strong resistance from was in an uncompromising mood as she seeks her second title of the year, after the Thailand Open, with a 21-13, 17-21, 21-15 win.
“I never bothered so much about past results, I only think about the match at hand and how I can improve myself. That’s all I have in mind,” said Yamaguchi.
Zhiyi’s defeat means that there will no repeat of the All-England finals when she handed the mercurial AN Se-young of Korea one of here rare defeats.
Se-young dropped a game for the first time this week in her 20-22, 21-12, 21-15 defeat of China’s third seeded Chen Yufei.
In the past seven meetings, Yamaguchi had beaten Se-young only once, at the Korean Open last year. But she will be hoping to turn the tables on the Korean superstar.
The men’s singles final will see Frenchman Alex Lanier taking on home hope Loh Kean Yew.
Lanier eased past Indonesian Alwi Farhan 21-14, 21-11 in his semi-final tie. It was also his third win over Alwi in three meetings this year. Lanier had also emerged victorious at the Malaysia Open and the Thomas Cup Finals earlier this year.
Kean Yew, looking to be only the first Singaporean since Wee Choon Seng in 1962 to win the title, defeated a spirited Koki Watanabe of Japan 21-15, 15-21, 21-9
SEMI-FINAL ROUND RESULTS
Men’s singles: Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Alwi Farhan (Ina) 21-14, 21-11; Loh Kean Yew (Sgp) bt Koki Watanabe (Jpn) 21-15, 15-21, 21-9
Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) bt Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) 21-19, 21-18; Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (Ina) bt Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) 23-21, 21-4
Women’s singles: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Wang Zhiyi (Chn) 21-13, 17-21, 21-15; An Se-young (Kor) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 20-22, 21-12, 21-15
Women’s doubles: Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) 21-15, 21-10; Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) bt Arisa Igarashi-Chiharu Shida (Jpn) 21-13, 21-14
Mixed doubles: Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara (Jpn) bt Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto (Ind) 21-16, 17-21, 21-13; Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje (Den) bt Gao Jiaxuan-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-11, 21-13
