Sarunrak Vitidsarn
It was a mixed day for the top seeds at the Vietnam Open championships semi-finals.
Both the top seeds in the women’s singles and mixed doubles crashed out in their last four clashes while three other top seeds advanced to the final.
Taipei Open champion Tanvi Sharma of India, the top seeded women’s singles player, was beaten 19-20, 20-22 by Thailand’s unseeded Sarunrak Vitidsarn.
Sarunrak, the younger sister of former men’s singles world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn took 41-minutes to beat her 19-year-old opponent. It was only the second time the pair are meeting on the international arena. Sarunrak had also beaten Tanvi at the Asian Junior championships in their previous meeting two year ago.
The unseeded Sarunrak will face another Indian shuttler in the form of third seeded Isharani Baruah for the title. Isharani gunned down teammate Rakshitha Sree Santosh Ramraj 21-10, 21-18 in her semi-final tie.
In the mixed doubles, the Thai pairing of Phuwanat Horbanluekit-Fungfa Korpthammakit upset top-seeds Wu Guan Xun-Lee Chia Hsin of Chinese Taipei 26-24, 21-16 in the semi-finals.
The seventh seeds will take on China’s unseeded Ma Xixiang-Qin Huizhi in the final after the latter picked up their own upset of sixth seeds Lo Yongyi-Huang Kexin of China 21-18, 17-21, 21-15 in their semi-finals.
Singapore’s Teh Jia Heng, the men’s singles top seed, was in imposing form as he crushed third seeded Indian veteran H.S. Prannoy 21-13, 21-8. The semi-final win will see him squaring off against Malaysian Soleh Aidil for the crown.
Soleh came back from a game down to beat Japan’s Minoru Koga 14-21, 21-15, 21-17 in semi-final battle between two unseeded players.
Men’s doubles top seeds Chen Zhi Ray-Lin Yu Chieh of Chinese Taipeoi overcame Malaysians Choong Hon Jian-Wong Vin Sean 21-17, 21-19 in their semi-final tie.
Likewise the women’s doubles top seeds Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim are also through the finals. But they had to do that the hard way, battling out for 65-minutes before disposing Thailand’s Tidaporn Kleebyeesun-Nattamon Laisuan 21-9, 17-21, 23-21 in their semi-final tie.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Sholeh Aidil (Mas) bt Minoru Koga (Jpn) 14,21. 21-15, 21-17; Teh Jia Heng (Sgp) bt H.S. Prannoy (Ind) 21-13, 21-8
Men’s doubles: Terry Hee Yong Kai-Wong Jia Hao Howin (Sgp) bt Chen Junting-Huang Di (Chn) 21-17, 8-21, 24-22; Chen Zhi Ray-Lin Yu Chieh (Tpe) bt Choong Hon Jian-Wong Vin Sean (Mas) 21-17, 21-19
Women’s singles: Sarunak Vitidsarn (Tha) bt Tanvi Sharma (Ind) 21-19, 22-20; Isharani Baruah (Ind) bt Rakshitha Sree Santosh Ramraj (Ind) 21-10, 21-18
Women’s doubles: Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim (Kor) bt Tidapron Kleebyeesun-Nattamon Laisuan (Tha) 21-9, 17-21, 23-21; Liu Jiayue-Wang Zimeng (Chn) bt Chou Yun An-Lo Ruo Hsuan (Tpe) 13-21, 21-14, 21-18
Mixed doubles: Phuwanat Horbanluekit-Fungfa Korpthammakit (Tha) bt Wu Guan Xun-Lee Chia Hsin (Tpe) 26-24, 21-16; Ma Xixiang-Qin Huizhi (Chn) bt Lo Yongyi-Huang Kexin (Chn) 21-18, 17-21, 21-15
