Viktor Axelsen, Kento Momota in Men's Singles final of Malaysia Open
(Courtesy : Inside The Games)
Chen Yufei and Ratchanok Intanon will square off against each other in the women's category.
The semi-finals day of the Malaysia Open Super 750 witnessed some of the most gruelling encounters. With almost all the top seeds staying in the hunt for the title, the day had some spine-chilling encounters. Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu-ying faltered against Chen Yufei again. And in the men's singles category, World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen booked a place in the final after defeating Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.
Let us have a look at the semi-final results of the Malaysia Open.
Momota, Axelsen to battle for the title
Japanese ace Kento Momota found form after a streak of early exits in the previous tournaments. The two-time former World Champion got the better of Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. The former eased past the Thai player 21-11, 21-12 in two straight games. This will be Momota's first final of the season.
Later in the day, Olympic champion and World No.1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark defeated Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. Viktor constructed a huge lead and comfortably secured the opening game 21-15. The Dane continued to dominate the second game before the Indonesian player scored consecutive points and took the game away from Viktor 22-20 to force the deciding game.
In the third game, the Danish player opted for the pace and looked to extend the margin to put pressure on Christie. After the change of ends, it was Viktor who was leading at 19-10 before he finally sealed the match 21-15, 22-20, 21-11. The Dane will now face his arch-rival Kento Momota in the title summit of the Malaysia Open.
Chen Yufei to face Ratchanok Intanon in the final
The women's singles semi-final saw the repeat of the Olympic final as it saw the winner Chen Yufei of China taking on the runner-up Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Both the players looked to book a spot for the title clash.
The match started with World no.2 dominating the first half of the opening game at 11-9. However, it was the Olympic champion who took the lead at 17-14 but Tai fought hard to secure a match point as well as the opening game 21-19.
In the second game, the Taiwanese shuttler built a massive lead at 12-5 but the Olympic champion outplayed her opponent with her efficient blend of neutralising defence and sharp attacks and levelled the score 12-12. Chen then went on to win eight of the last nine points and sealed the game 21-13.
The third game was equally tense for both the players. Tai started at 4-0 and kept her opponent trailing until the end. But, it was once again the Olympic champion who shifted the momentum and levelled the score at 14-14 and allowed World No. 2 to score only one point, winning the match 19-21, 21-13, 21-15.
Earlier, former World champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand defeated the rising Chinese star Wang Zhi Yi in two straight games 21-8, 21-18. The Thai shuttler will now face Chen Yufei for the Malaysia Open title.
The newly paired Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Ramadhanti reached their second final of the season
Olympic champion Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia who had recently paired with compatriot Siti Ramadhanti earlier in the season reached her second final. The duo beat Jeong Na Eun and Kim Hye Jeong in straight games 22-14, 21-20.
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