PETALING JAYA: China’s Chen Yufei (pic) believes the women’s singles field is becoming increasingly competitive, with a new wave of younger players rapidly closing the gap.
The world No. 4 booked her place in a third Malaysian Masters final after defeating Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-11, 21-14 in 43 minutes yesterday.
Despite the convincing scoreline, Yufei admitted it was far from straightforward, praising the 21-year-old Akechi and highlighting the growing depth in women’s singles.
“She’s (Akechi) a really good player. And right now every singles player is pretty much the same. I can’t say that any one player is better than the other,” said Yufei.
“Some players focus more on their rhythm and tactics on court, while some rely more on their offence.
“So everyone’s level is about the same.”
Yufei, 28, had just met world No. 24 Akechi at the Thailand Open last week, where she also won their semi-final match.
“It’s tough when I play against her. Even last week I faced a lot of difficulties. But this time I felt better and understood her style of play.
“The game was good, and I feel that my overall performance is getting better. I felt my tactics on court were good, but there are some things I still need to adjust,” she said.
Yufei finished as runner-up last week in Thailand after she fell to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi.
She is now aiming to clinch her second Malaysian Masters title after winning the 2020 edition by beating Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying.
Her second final appearance at the tournament came two years later, but she was denied a win by South Korea’s An Se-young.
Yufei will face Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the final today after the second seed defeated Denmark’s Line Kjaersfeldt 21-12, 21-12.
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Yufei holds the upper hand against Ratchanok, having won 19 of their previous 22 meetings, with the most recent meeting also coming in Kuala Lumpur at the Malaysian Open in January.
