Goh Jin Wei (Photo by Marcus Cyron)
It will be a final battle between two players hoping to make their mark in the women’s singles competition at the Thailand Masters badminton championships tomorrow.
Twenty-six-year-old Malaysian Goh Jin Wei, a former two-time world junior champion, will be up against India’s Devika Sihag, six years her junior, after both players booked their first BWF Super 300 final.
World No. 68 Jin Wei fought back from a game down to beat world No. 43 Ling Ching 17-21, 21-17, 21-16 at the Nimibutr Stadium.
As for Devika, who had stunned top seeded Thai Supanida Katethong in the quarter-finals, she defeated fifth seed Huang Yu-hsuan of Chinese Taipei 22-20, 21-13 in the semis.
Despite her world championships success, Jin Wei did not really live up to her potential, caused by her health issues and even retired from the sport in 2021.
She returned in 2022 and made the Vietnam Open final, a BWF Super 100 event. She is now the first Malaysian women’s singles shuttler to reach a Super 300 World Tour final.
Devika, the the 2024 Indian women’s singles national champion, is looking to establish herself as a future star from a country that has produced the likes of P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nerwal. She has three BWF International Challenge titles to her name including the Malaysian International last year.
Devika and Jin Wei have never met in any competition prior to this and tomorrow final will be an intriguing affair.
The men’s singles semi-finals saw newly crowned Indonesian Masters champion Alwi Farhan crashing out. The second seeded Indonesian was dismantled by teammate Moh Zaki Ubaidillah 21-18, 21-14.
The player he defeated for the title in Jakarta – Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul is however into his second final in as many weeks. The Thai youngster defeated Zhu Xuanchen of China 21-14, 21-11 to book his place in the final.
Indonesia are assured of at least two title, with both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles being all-Indonesian affairs.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
MEN’S SINGLES: Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul (Tha) bt Zhu Xuanchen (Chn) 21-14, 21-11; Moh Zaki Ubaidillah (Ina) bt Alwi Farhan (Ina) 21-18, 21-14
MEN’S DOUBLES: Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin (Ina) bt Hu Keyuan-Lin Xiangyi (Chn) 21-16, 21-15; Leo Rolly Carnando-Bagas Maulana (Ina) bt Muhammad Rian Ardianto-Rahmat Hidayat (Ina) 21-8, 21-18
WOMEN’S SINGLES: Devika Sihag (Ind) bt Huang Yu-hsuan (Tpe) 22-20, 21-13; Goh Jin Wei (Mas) bt Wong Ling Ching (Mas) 17-21, 21-17, 21-16
WOMEN’S DOUBLES: Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi-Siti Fadia Ramadhanti (Ina) bt Kaho Osawa-Mai Tanabe (Jpn) 21-23, 21-12, 21-15; Bao Lijing-Li Yijing (Chn) bt Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari (Ina) 21-11, 16-21, 21-15
MIXED DOUBLES: Bobby Setiabudi-Melati Daeva Oktavianti (Ina) bt Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah (Ina) 21-8, 21-18; Adlan Maulana-Indah Cahya Seri Jamil (Ina) bt Akira Koga-Natsu Saito (Jpn) 29-27, 21-16
