A vociferous crowd motivated top-ranked shuttlers Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Akane Yamaguchi as they fought back from a game down each to enter the semi-finals of the KhiladiX.com Dubai 2023 Badminton Asia Championships here on Friday.
The Indonesian second seed Ginting’s match was the highlight of the day as he smashed his way to overcome the world junior champion Li Shi Feng from China 10-21, 23-21, 26-24 in a match that lasted for than an hour.
“It was a crucial match for both of us. Overall, I am happy with my performance today. It was no doubt a very tough match,” said Ginting, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist.
“The crowd support was amazing today. Felt like I was playing in Jakarta. They inspired me to go for every point,” added the 26-year-old from West Java, who rose to prominence when he won the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Ginting next faces Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama who defeated India’s eighth seed H.S. Prannoy.
Before Ginting’s match, 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew advanced with his first win over Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in their fourth meeting as he battled past the former Asian junior champion 21-19, 21-19.
“It was a close match; very crucial. He is a good friend and player. This is the first time I fought him, so very happy to win the game. I am focusing on tomorrow,” said the seventh seed Loh Kean who will meet China’s Lu Guang Zu.
“I had a roller-coaster season so far but trying to find my own way.”
Thrilling Matches in Women’s Singles
In the evening with even more crowd filling up the Al Nasr Stadium, reigning World and Asian Games champion Yamaguchi from Japan was made to toil by the equally talented Wang Zhi Yi, the 2022 champion, before she pulled off a 13-21, 21-14, 21-17 win over the sixth seed from China.
“I didn't think I am world no. 1 and had pressure during the match, I just played my usual game. It was a tough game. She is a strong player; happy to advance," said Yamaguchi, who loves to read comics to relax herself.
“To keep improving my performance is what motivates me.
Yamaguchi next faces Tai Tzu Ying, a rival she has faced many times and has a 12-10 record.
Tai Tzu, the fourth seed from Chinese Taipei, too made an incredible comeback in her quarter-final match, showcasing her skills which were laced with deceptive drops and cross-court smashes. She pulled out an impressive win over the fifth-seeded Chinese HE Bing Jiao 14-21, 21-16, 21-18.
“I always had good memories in Dubai. I hope this time also I can make it memorable. I tried to be composed after the crucial second game,” said the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist.
Among other top names, All England champion An Se Young also had to rally from a game down to beat Indian star P.V. Sindhu 18-21, 21-5, 21-9. It was the first time Sindhu won a game after her 0-5 loss to the Korean.
“I think the first game today the way I played, I actually fought her. I should have been a bit more consistent in the second and third games,” reflected Sindhu on her match today.
Satwik-Chirag ensures a medal for India
In men’s doubles, there were surprises galore.
Sixth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept the Indian hopes alive entering the semi-finals after the losses of Prannoy and Sindhu. They upset the experienced Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, the former All England and world champions 21-11, 21-12, a result that wasn’t expected.
“Playing against senior players like them, there is no strategy. They can come back at any time; they have that mindset. So, from the start, we didn’t take it as pressure and we tried to enjoy every point,” said Rankireddy, the World Championships bronze medallist.
“They are like idols. We have been following them since a young age. When we took our racquets, they were already All England champions and world champions. So, we know how they play.
“But going into the match, we had a strategy with our coach and focus on the service receiving. After the injury, the way we are playing it’s a good sign for us.”
Shetty added: “We played some good badminton today. But the job is still not done.”
Heartbreak
Meanwhile, Indonesia had heartbreak as their top-seeded men's doubles pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto crashed out losing to Malaysian eighth seeds Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in straight games 22-20, 21-15.
Alfian-Rian Ardianto later admitted they rushed to pick up points which saw them making mistakes.
“We didn’t think about winning but just to give a good fight. Happy to pull off the win,” said the Malaysians after their win.
“No one likes to play defensive but attacking is their strong point. So we had to play accordingly and plan our strategy. In men’s s doubles the pair getting the attack is the stronger.”
The KhiladiX.com Dubai 2023 Badminton Asia Championships, powered by Floxi and sponsored by Shobha Realty, are competed by around 300 shuttlers from 28 nations from April 25 to 30.
