Dong Tianyao
Dong Tianyao was the savior for China as he clinched the winning point for the defending champions in the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Qingdao.
The champions will now play Japan in the men’s team as they attempt to retain the title.
Tianyao was hardly tested by Cho Hyeon-woo, a player ranked more than 120 rungs below him, in the first game. But the 22-year-old overcame a strong fightback from Hyeon-woo in the second before winning 21-6, 21-19 in just under one hour.
Earlier, Korea raced to a 2-0 lead to silence the partisan crowd at the Qingdao Conson Gymnasium.
Yoo Tae-bin stunned former World University Games champion Wang Zheng Xing 21-19, 16-21, 21-13 to give Korea a shock 1-0 lead. The unheralded Ta-bin was not expected to trouble Zhengxing, the world number 30, but showed his pedigree in the 79-minute match.
Jon Yong-Kim Won-ho then pulled off another upset in the first men’s doubles when they carved out a 21-15, 21-17 win over He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu.
The 0-2 deficit got the Chinese reassessing their position. Hu Zhean was beaten by his rival Choi Jihoon when they last met at the Malaysia Super 100 last year. But this time Zhean was in his elements to turn the tables 21-13, 21-19 to give China a lifeline.
Chen Junting-Liu Junrong took just 36-minutes to beat Cho-Song-hyun-Ki Dong-ju 21-15, 21-14 to pull China level.
And in stepped Tianyao to deliver the winning point and be the hero for the hosts.
The final between China and Japan will be the first time that both teams would be playing in the final.
There was no comeback for Indonesia in their semi-finals against Japan. After edging past Thailand 3-2 in their quarter-final tie, Indonesia did not get a reprieve in the semi-finals, bowing out 1-3 to Japan.
Moh Zaki Ubaidillah drew first blood for Indonesia when he upstaged the experienced Kenta Nishimoto 22-20, 21-16 in the first singles.
The defeat to the former Japan Open champion, however did not rattle the confident East Asian side, that have one silver and two bronze in the series.
Seeking to make their second ever final, Japan struck back quickly with Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi romping past Muhammad Rian Ardianto-Leo Rolly Carnando 21-16, 21-17 in the first doubles.
World number 46, Yushi Tanaka then turned the tables of 26th ranked Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo in the second singles, winning 21-11, 21-15.
Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami sealed victory for the Indonesians when they defeated upstarts Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin 21-17, 21-15.
The women’s team final will see 2016 champions China taking on Korea. China eased past Chinese Taipei 3-0.
Korea chose to rest their mercurial talisman An Se-young but were still strong enough to beat Indonesia 3-1. They dropped the second singles when Park Ga-eun was beaten 14-21, 13-21 by Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
MEN
China bt Korea 3-2 (Wang Zhengxing lost to Yoo Tae-bin 19-21, 21-16, 13-21; He Jiting-Ren Xianyu lost to Jin Yong-Kim Won-ho 15-21, 17-21; Hu Zhean bt Choi Jihoon 21-13, 21-19; Chen Junting-Liu Junrong bt Cho Song-hyun-Ki Dong-ju 21-15, 21-14; Dong Tuanyao bt Cho Hyeon-woo 21-6, 21-19)
Japan bt Indonesia 3-1 (Kenta Nishimoto lost to Moh Zaki Ubaidillah 20-22, 16-21; Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi bt Muhammad Rian Ardianto-Leo Rolly Carnando 21-16, 21-17; Yushi Tanaka bt Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo 21-11, 21-15; Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami bt Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin 21-17, 21-15)
WOMEN
China bt Chinese Taipei 3-0 (Gao Fengjie bt Chiu Pin-Chian 18-21, 21-17, 21-16; Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian bt Hsu ya Ching-Sung Yu-Hsuan (Tpe) 21-11, 21-7; Xu Wenjing bt Lin Hsiang Ti 16-21, 21-10, 21-13)
Korea bt Indonesia 3-1 (Kim Ga-eun bt Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan 21-5, 21-4; Baek Ha-na-Kim Hye-jeong bt Rachel Allessya Rose-Febi Setianingrum 21-14, 21-10; Park Ga-eun lost to Ni Kadek Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi 14-21, 13-21; Lee Seo-jin-Lee Yeon-woo bt Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanthi 21-19, 21-19)
