Alwi Farhan (Photo by Tony2803.tw)
Reigning SEA Games champion Alwi Farhan of Indonesia is just a step away from winning the men’s singles title at home.
The former world junior champion stormed into the final of the Indonesian Masters with a polished 21-11, 21-12 win over Taiwanese Chi Yu-jen in Jakarta earlier today.
The eight seeded player will take one Thailand’s Teeraratsakul Panitchaphon in the final. Teeraratsakul stunned Singapore’s former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore 21-17, 21-17 in his semi-final match.
The final tomorrow will be only their third meeting at an international event and the first at the senior level. Alwi had beaten the Thai at the Asian Team Championships last year.
It was also the end of the road for former world champion – Nozomi Okuhara – in the women’s singles. The Japanese was beaten 15-21, 22-24 by China’s Chen Yufei in the semi-finals. Yufei will play Thailand’s Opatniputh Pitchamon, who ended the fairy tale run of Malaysian Letshanaa Karupathevan, winning) 21-15, 21-17.
In the men’s doubles, Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin continued the giant killing ways, defeating another higher ranked pair in the semi-finals. The Indonesian youngsters outgunned teammates Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 21-19, 21-14. The pair had accounted for second seeds Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the quarter-finals.
They will be up against the Malaysian pair of Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izuddin, who defeated Danes Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard 21-9, 21-15 in their semi-finals.
It was a good day for the Malaysian shuttlers with women’s doubles top seeds Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan and mixed doubles third seeds Cheng Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei making the finals.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei sprung an upset by defeating second seeds Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China 21-17, 21-17 in their semi-finals.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s Singles: Teeraratsakul Panitchaphon (Tha) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sgp) 21-17, 21-17; Alwi Farhan (Ina) bt Chi Yu-jen (Tpe) 21-11, 21-12
Men’s Doubles: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izuddin (Mas) bt Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) 21-9, 21-15; Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin (Ina) bt Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani (Ina) 21-19, 21-14
Women’s Singles: Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-15, 24-22; Opatniputh Pitchamon (Tha) bt Letshanaa Karupathevan (Mas) 21-15, 21-17
Women’s Doubles: Arisa Igarashi-Mayu Takahashi (Jpn) bt Rachel Allessya Rose-Febi Setianingrum (Ina) 21-12, 19-21, 21-13; Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan (Mas) bt Lanny Tria Mayasari-Apriyani Rahayu (Ina) 21-15, 21-9
Mixed Doubles: Cheng Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (Mas) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-17, 21-17; Mathias Christiansen-Alexandre Boje (Den) bt Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu (Ina) 20-22, 21-19, 21-17
