(Credit Image : Sportskeeda)
World No 82 Sourabh Varma ( image above) faces an uphill task against top seed and Taiwan's hottest badminton property Hsu Jen Hao in the men's singles semi-finals in the USD55,000 Taiwan Masters on Saturday.
The Indian, ranked a low world No 82 will battle the Taiwanese ace, ranked a high world No 22. Both were impressive in their quarter-final matches on Friday which sets a mouth watering tie in Saturday's semi-finals at Hsing Chuang Gymnasium in Taipei.
Jen Hao was taken the full distance by former Malaysian international Tan Chuan Seang before prevailing 6-11, 11-4, 13-15, 11-5, 11-9 in a 62 minute battle. Sourabh, on the other hand had a much easier task against Japan's Kento Horiuchi before winning 7-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-7 with a dominating performance after losing the opening set.
Sourabh is now only one win away from reaching his third international final after reaching the final in the Belgian and Poland Open. The Indian leads his Taiwanese opponent 3-1 in the head-to-head count.
The other semi-final will be Malaysian international and Thomas Cupper Daren Liew and Taiwan's No 5 seed Lin Yu Hsien. Daren was dominating in his 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 win in 23 minutes over Indonesia's Shesar Hiren Rhustavito while Yu Hsien defeated compatriot Hsueh Hsuan Yi 11-6, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6.
There was a major upset in the women's singles when No 2 seed Tee Jing Yi dumped out of the tournament by Thailand's rising star and No 5 seed Pornpawee Chochuwong. The Thai won in straight sets 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 in only 26 minutes.
Pornpawee will face Japan's No 3 seed Ayumi Mine who was too good for Taiwan's Lee Chia Hsin with a 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 win in 36 minutes. In an all-Japan semi-final Saena Kawakami will play compatriot Asuka Takahashi.
In the quarter-finals Saena uoset No 6 seed Hana Ramadhini of Indonesia 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 14-12 while Asuka ousted teammate Yukino Nakai 11-8, 13-11, 11-9.
The women's doubles saw No 1 seeds Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota of Japan cruise into the last four with a 15-13, 11-4, 11-8 win over compatriots Miyuki Maeda-Nao Ono.
However, No 2 seeds Poon Lok Yan-Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong fell by the wayside after a shock 5-11, 9-11, 4-11 defeat to Malaysians Lim Yin Loo-Yap Cheng Wen in 25 minutes.
Malaysia have another pair to fight for a place in the final when Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean slogged for 75 minutes to beat Japan's Ayako Sakuramoto-Yukiko Takahata 15-14, 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9.
Taiwan's hopes in the men's doubles soared when top seedds Chen Hung Ling-Wang Chi-Lin swept past Singapore's Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Hendra Wijaya. The favourites will meet Japan's Hiroyuki Saeki-Ryota Taohata who came off 11-9, 11-7, 11-2 winners over Hong Kong's Mak Hee Chun-Yeung Shing Choi.
Singapore had two pairs in the mixed doubles quarter-finals but both failed to make the semi-finals on a bad day for the republic's shuttlers in Taipei.
It was especially painful for the number one seeds Terry Hee Yong Kai-Tan Wei who failed to live up to their billing against Indonesia's Riky Widianto-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja and crashed out 3-1 under the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) new scoring sysetm – the -11 point best-of-five system.
The Indonesian pair won 11-5, 11-6, 3-11, 11-5 in 28 minutes. They will now play Hong Kong's Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet in Saturday's semi-finals. The Hong Kong pair defeated Japan's Yoshinori Takeuchi-Ayako Sakuramoto 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 in 21 minutes.
The other semifinal will feature Japan's Ryota Taohata-Koharu Yonemoto against Taiwan's Lin Chia Yu-Wu Ti Jung.
The Japanese beat homesters Wang Chi-Lin-Cheng Chi Ya 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8 in 27 minuteswhile the Taiwanese added more pain misery to the Singapore camp with a 8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9 win over Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Putri Sari Dewi Citra in a 37 minute encounter at the Hsing Chuang Gymnasium in Taipei.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Men's singles
Hsu Jen Hao (Tpe) beat Tan Chun Seang (Mas) 6-11, 11-4, 13-15, 11-5, 11-9
Sourabh Varma (Ind) beat Kento Horiuchi (Jpn) 7-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-7
Lin Yu Hsien (Tpe) beat Hsueh Hsuan Yi (Tpe) 11-6, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6
Daren Liew (Mas) beat Shesar Hiren Rhustavito (Ina) 11-8, 11-3, 11-2
Men's doubles
Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Ina) beat Taiki Shimada-Yoshinori Takeuchi (Jpn) 5-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5
Hiroyuki Saeki-Ryota Taohota (Jpn) beat Mak Hee Chun-Yeung Shing Choi (Hkg) 11-9, 11-7, 11-2
Terry Hee Yong Kai-Loh Kean Hean (Sin) beat Liao Kuan Nao-Liu Chia Pin (Tpe) 11-8, 3-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6
Chen Hung Ling-Wang Chi-Lin (Tpe) beat Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Hendra Wijaya (Sin) 11-3, 11-6, 12-10
Women's doubles
Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota (Jpn) beat Miyuki Maeda-Nao Ono (Jpn) 15-13, 11-4, 11-8
Lim Yin Loo-Yap Cheng Wen (Mas) beat Poon Lok Yan-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg) 11-5, 11-9, 11-4
Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (Mas) beat Ayako Sakuramoto-Yukiko Takahata (Jpn) 15-14, 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9
Shiho Tanaka-Koharu Yonemoto (Jpn) beat Nisak Puji Lestari-Merisa Cindy Sahputri (Ina) 7-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10
Mixed doubles
Riky Widianto-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja (Ina) beat Terry Hee Yong Kai-Tan Wei Han (Sin) 11-5, 11-6, 3-11, 11-5
Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg) beat Yoshinori Takeuchi-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7
Lin Chia Yu-Wu Ti Jung (Tpe) beat Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Putri SariDewi Citra (Sin) 8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9
Ryoya Taohata-Koharu Yonemoto (Jpen) beat Wang Chi Lin-Cheng Chi Ya (Tpe) 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8
