Breaking the jinx: Ong Yew Sin (back) and Teo Ee Yi finally defeated favourites Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto of Indonesia for the first time this year
PETALING JAYA: Independent doubles shuttlers Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing saved Malaysia from a wipeout in the World Tour Finals by checking into the semi-finals in style.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi were ruthless in Bangkok yesterday when they finally defeated favourites Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto of Indonesia for the first time this year with a sensational 10-21, 21-17, 21-19 win in 53 minutes to enter the last four as the Group A men’s doubles champions.
They have lost to Fajar-Rian, who just won the Badminton World Federation (BWF)’s most improved pair of the year award, four times before this year.
They will face Group A runners-up Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan.
While Yew Sin-Ee Yi enjoyed a good run, reigning world champions Aaron-Wooi Yik bowed out without a single win after losing their third consecutive match with a 19-21, 21-23 defeat to Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in Group B.
Kian Meng was overjoyed to come through the group of death with Pei Jing as the Group B runners-up.
Yesterday, the duo oozed class in their 21-17, 22-20 win against Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran of Thailand.
They had earlier beaten Olympic Games champions Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping of China.
“We are truly lucky to come through this tough group,” said Kian Meng.
“Wang has been struggling since his injury and I guess that helped us a bit. It will be hard in the semi-finals too. It has been a year of ups and downs, hopefully, we will end strongly here.”
Kian Meng-Pei Jing will face Group A winners Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China.
In the men’s singles, Viktor Axelsen finally suffered a rare defeat after losing to H.S. Prannoy in a final tight Group A match. The Indian brought out his best to beat the world No. 1 14-21, 21-17, 21-18 but it was still not good enough to take Prannoy to the semi-finals.
Axelsen will face Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the last four today.
n Men’s singlesGroup A: H.S. Prannoy (Ind) bt Viktor Axelsen (Den) 14-21, 21-17, 21-18; Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Lu Guangzu (Chn) 21-19, 21-15.
Group B: Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Chou Tien-chen (Tpe) 21-13, 12-21, 21-17; Anthony Ginting (Ina) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sin) 21-12, 23-21.
n Men’s doublesGroup A: Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) bt Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto (Ina) 10-21, 21-17, 21-19; Choi Sol-gyu-Kim Won-ho (Kor) bt Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) 21-11, 21-19.
Group B: Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Den) bt Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas) 21-19, 23-21; Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi (Chn) bt Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) 21-13, 21-18.
n Women’ singlesGroup A: Chen Yufei (Chn) bt An Se-young (Kor) 21-16, 21-12; Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Gregoria Mariska (Ina) 21-15, 13-21, 21-18;
Group B: He Bingjiao (Chn) bt Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) 8-21, 22-20, 21-13; Tai Tzu-ying (Tpe) bt Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-10, 12-21, 21-7.
n Women’s doublesGroup A: Benyapa Aimsaard-Nuntakarn Aimsaard (Tha) bt Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hye-jeong (Kor) 21-15, 21-8; Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (Tha) bt Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien (Mas) 21-10, 21-17.
Group B: Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) bt Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia (Ina) 21-16, 21-16; Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu (Chn) bt Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (Mas) 21-19, 20-22, 21-9
n Mixed doublesGroup A: Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) w,o. Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (Mas); Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas (Ina) bt Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue (Fra) 14-21, 21-17, 24-22.
Group B: Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping (Chn) 23-21, 21-13; Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) bt Supak Jomkoh-Supissara Paewsampran (Tha) 21-17, 22-20.
