Japan gave defending a champions China a fright before the 10-time champions scraped through into the final 3-2 in the Sudirman Cup mixed team championships in Gold Coast, Australia on Saturday.
It was a touch and go affair in the semi-final at the Carrara Indoor Sports Stadium before the Chinese made it count in the women's doubles in the last tie of the match when Japan's world No 1 and Rio Olympics champions Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takashi bucked under pressuer and surprising lost in straight sets to world No 4 Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan 12-21, 19-21 in 55 minutes for the winning point.
World No 3 Akane Yamaguchi had pulled Japan level at 2-2 when she tamed world No 6 Sun Yu 21-17, 21-15 in a 49-minute match.
Japan had a great start to the semi-final tie when up and coming mixed doubles pair Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino upset Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen 12-21, 21-14, 19-21 in 65 minutes.
However, five-time world champion and Beijing Olympics (2008) and London Olympics (2012) champion Lin Dan made it 1-1 for China with a 21-19, 21-16 win over world No 61 Kenta Nishimoto.
China went 2-1 up through Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen (ranked No 3) secured a 23-21, 21-16 win over Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda in 47 minutes in the men's doubles but Yamaguchi packed off Sun Yu for the decisive women's doubles to decide the winner.
Thailand's former world champion and world No 1 Ratchanok Intanon failed to rescue her team when it mattered most to hand Korea the winning point in the women's singles.
The 22-year-old-old Ratchanok (No 9) who said she was "nervous and found her rhythm too late" fell to a 13-21, 17-21 defeat to No 4 ranked Sung Ji-hyun in 46 minutes as the Koreans celebrated.
It was a bad start for the Koreans when they fell to defeat in the mixed doubles in the opening tie. Choi Solgyu-Chae Yoo-jung could not do much against Thailand's rising pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai and lost 16-21, 12-21.
Current world No 1 Son Wan-ho, overcame his tiredness to down Suppanyu Avihingsanon in the men's singles in a marathon 80-minute three-set thriller – prevailing 18-21, 21-10, 21-17 for Korea to draw level at 1-1.
Choi Solgyu came back to salvage victory with his partner Seo Seung-jae in the men's doubles and give Korea a 2-1 lead after the pair beat Bodin Isara-Dechapol Puavaranukroh 21-13, 21-16.
For three-time champions Korea it is an amazing journey for them in Gold Coast despite coming with a new look team after some of the seniors quit the team.
For Thailand, despite the defeat it matched their semi-final appearance in the Sudirman Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2013. Their initial target in Gold Coast was the quarter-finals.
SUDIRMAN CUP
RESULTS (SEMI-FINALS)
China beat Japan 3-2
(China first)
XD: Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen lost to Yuta Watanabe-Arsia Higashino 12-21, 21-14. 19-12
MS: Lin Dan beat Kenta Nishimoto 21-19, 21-16
MD: Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen beat Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda 23-21, 21-16
WS: Sun Yu lost to Akane Yamaguchi 17-21, 15-21
WD: Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan beat Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi 21-12, 21-19
South Korea beat Thailand 3-1
(Korea first)
XD: Choi Solgyu-Chae Yoo-jung lost to Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai 16-21, 12-21
MS: Son Wan-ho beat Suppanyu Avihingsanon 18-21, 21-10, 21-17
MD: Choi Solgyu-Seo Seung-jae beat Bodin Isara-Dechapol Puavaranukroh 21-13, 21-16
WS: Sung Ji-hyun beat Ratchanok Intanon 21-13, 21-16
