( Credit Image : Alchetron)
Japan's Akane Yamaguchi ( Image above) handed reigning Olympic and world champion Carolina Marin of Spain a second successive defeat in Group B in the women's singles in the Dubai Superseries Finals.
The second seeded Japanese came back from a set down to carve a 18-21, 21-17, 21-14 win after a marathon 86 minute match. Group B was thrown wide open after India's Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu suffered a straight sets 21-15, 21-17 defeat to China's Sun Yu. It was Sun Yu's second win in as many matches.
The group semi-finalists will be decided on Friday with Sun Yu facing Yamaguchi and Sindhu taking on Marin in a repeat of the Rio Olympics final.
It was plain sailing in Group A with world No 1 and top seed Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan and Korea's registering their second wins on Thursday. Tzu Ying beat former world champion and world No 1 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-12, 21-14 while Ji-hyun snuffed out China's He Bingjiao 21-18, 21-15.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's world No 1 Lee Chong Wei hauled himself back into contention when he won 21-15, 22-20 against Hong Kong's Angus Ng Ka Long in a Group B match. The Malaysian suffered a shock defeat to Korea's Son Wan-ho 10-21, 16-21 in his first match.
Wan-ho, seeded second, made the last four when he continued his rich form in Dubai for his second win – defeating Denmark's Olympics bronze medal winner Viktor Axelsen in three sets 21-19, 14-21, 21-18 in a 76 minute match.
In Group A top seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark notched his second win in the group to confirm his semi-final berth with China's Tian Houwei. The Dane beat Germany's Marc Zwiebler 21-18, 21-10 while Houwei won 21-19, 13-21, 21-7 against Hong Kong's Hu Yun.
In the men's doubles world No 1 Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, seeded second in Dubai, made the semi-finals after a come-from behind 18-21, 21-19, 21-19 win over China's Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen. The Malaysians received a walkover from Denmark's Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen in their first match.
It was sad end to Olympics champions Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir's campaign in Dubai when the Indonesians retired in the second set against third seeds Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna following a knee injury to Liliyana in a Group A match.
The Danes were leading 21-8, 11-6 when the Indonesian pair threw in the towel in . They had also lost their first match to compatriots and All England champions Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto.
Praveen-Debby upset top seeds Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na of Korea 21-12, 21-15 for their second win and book their place in the last four.
RESULTS
Men's singles
GROUP A
Tian Houwei (Chn) beat Hu Yun (Hkg) 21-19, 13-21, 21-7
Jan O Jorgensen (Den) beat Marc Zwiebler (Ger) 21-18, 21-10
GROUP B
San Wan-ho (Kor) beat Viktor Axelsen (Den) 21-19, 14-21, 21-18
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 21-15, 22-20
Women's singles
GROUP A
Sung Ji-hyun (Kor) beat He Bingjiao (Chn) 21-18, 21-15
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-12 21-14
GROUP B
Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) beat Carolina Marin (Spn) 18-21, 21-19, 21-19
Sun Yu (Chn) beat P.V. Sindhu (Ind) 21-15, 21-17
Men's doubles
GROUP A
Mads Conrad Petersen-Mads Pieler Kolding (Den) beat Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) 21-12, 21-19
Takeshi Kamura- Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi (Ina) 21-15, 21-9
GROUP B
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) beat Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen (Chn) 18-21, 21-19, 21-19
Chai Biao-Hong Wei (Chn) w/o Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den)
Women's doubles
GROUP A
Chang Ye-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) beat Naoko Fukuman-Kurumi Yonaoi (Jpn) 21-14, 21-10
Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) 21-7, 21-11
GROUP B
Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) beat Kamilla Rhytter Juhl-Christinna Pedersen (Den) beat 21-13, 14-21, 21-13
Jung Kyung-eun-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) beat Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) 21-19, 21-17
Mixed doubles
GROUP A
Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) beat Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) 21-8, 11-6 (rtd)
Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto (Ina) beat Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na (Kor) 21-12, 21-15
GROUP B
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Chris Adcock-Gabrielle Adcock (Eng) 21-17, 21-17
Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) beat Kenta Kazuno-Ayane Kurihara (Jpn) 21-12, 21-19
