Kunlavut Vitidsarn(Photo by Sandro Halank)
Both the top two men’s singles seeds at the Artic Open badminton championships have been dumped out in the quarter-finals.
Former Thai world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn was beaten by world number 18 Yushi Tanaka 14-21, 21-13, 21-16 in his quarter-final tie. Malaysian Lee Zii Jia reminded the badminton world of his capabilities by ousting world No.2 Christo Popov in straight games.
The former world No.2, who has struggled to regain form amid recurring injuries, was in his element in a commanding 21-11 21-16 quarterfinal victory. Known for his powerful smashes, Lee unleashed a barrage of attacking shots that Popov struggled to contain.
The 2023 champion has now reached his first Super 500 semifinal in more than two years. His previous appearance came at the Australian Open in June 2024, where he went on to claim the title. Next up is a showdown with longtime friend Anders Antonsen, who defeated Hu Zhe An 22-20 21-19.
Should Lee overcome Antonsen, he will face a Japanese opponent in the final, with Yushi Tanaka and Koki Watanabe set to battle for the other spot. Lee has yet to drop a game in Vantaa.
Watanabe ended Chou Tien Chen’s two-year reign 21-19 21-16, while Tanaka produced the bigger upset, recovering from a game down to beat top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn 14-21 21-13 21-16.
In women’s singles, Mia Blichfeldt finally got the better of Han Yue after four losses, edging the third seed 21-18 24-22 in 56 minutes. The Dane will next face Japanese veteran Nozomi Okuhara, who also overcame a familiar hurdle by defeating compatriot Tomoka Miyazaki for the first time in four attempts, winning 17-21 21-17 21-19.
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated showdown between women’s singles stalwarts Ratchanok Intanon and Pusarla V. Sindhu went the Thai player’s way. Intanon prevailed 21-11 19-21 21-18 in a hard-fought encounter to book her place in the semifinals.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Lee Zii Jia (Mas) bt Christo Popov (Fra) 21-11, 21-16; Anders Antonsen (Den) bt Hu Zhean (Chn) 22-20, 21-19; Koki Watanabe (Jpn) bt Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) 21-19, 21-16; Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) bt Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) 14-21, 21-13, 21-16
Men’s doubles: Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King (Mas) bt Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (Tha) 21-13, 21-19; Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer (Den) bt Krishna Prasad Garaga-Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy (Ind) 21-13, 21-14; Lai Po Yu-Tsai Fu Cheng (Tpe) bt Robert Nebel-Jeppe Soby (Den) 21-19, 21-17; Julien Maio-Willoam Villiger (Fra) bt Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) 21-13, 21-13
Women’s singles: Mia Blichfeldt (Den) bt Han Yue (Chn) 21-18, 24-22; Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt P.V. Sindhu (Ind) 21-11, 19-21, 21-18; Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) bt Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) 17-21, 21-17, 21-19; Line Christophersen (Den) bt Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) 18-21, 21-14, 21-19
Women’s doubles: Chen Fan Shutan-Luo Xumin (Chn) bt Sayaka Hirota-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) 21-18, 12-21, 21-11; Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhih Yun (Tpe) bt Lin Chih-Chun-Yang Chu Yun (Tpe) 21-14, 20-22, 21-19; Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) bt Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva (Bul) 21-14, 17-21, 21-15; Hsu Ya Ching-Sung Yu-Hsuan (Tpe) bt Luo Yi-Wang Tingge (Chn) 21-19, 21-17
Mixed doubles: Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan (Tpe) 21-10, 21-15; Liu Kuang Heng-Hsu Yin-Hui (Tpe) bt Zhu Yijun-Li Qian (Chn) 19-21, 21-19, 21-16; Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Filip Karlborg-Tilda Sjoo (Nor) 21-7, 21-17; Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengyong (Chn) bt Akira Koga-Natsu Saito (Jpn) 25-23, 23-21
