Host nation Japan kept their title hopes alive on home soil after booking a mouth-watering semi-final showdown with defending champions China at the Yatsushiro City General Gymnasium today.
The Japanese advanced with a hard-earned 2-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, but the scoreline hardly reflected the intensity of the contest.
Led by women’s singles ace Yuzuno Watanabe and boys’ singles player Shunki Hagiwara, Japan were pushed all the way before prevailing 55-45 in the opening set and 55-53 in the second to seal their place in the last four.
Standing in their way are 10-time champions China, who remain firmly on course for an 11th mixed team title after a commanding win over Malaysia.
China controlled the quarter-final from the outset, taking both sets 55-39 and 55-30. Luo Jing Yu and reigning Asian junior girls’ singles champion Yin Yi Qing once again spearheaded the challenge as the defending champions won every match in the tie.
The other semi-final pit last year’s runners-up Thailand against surprise package Hong Kong China.
Thailand continued their consistent run with a 2-0 victory over Indonesia, claiming the the match 55-48 and 55-49 to move within one win of another final appearance.
Hong Kong China, seeded seventh, produced the upset of the day by knocking out India in a dramatic three-set encounter.
India struck first, taking the opening set 55-44, but Hong Kong responded strongly to level matters with a 55-45 win in the second.
The deciding set swung repeatedly. India held a narrow 33-32 advantage after the men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles, only for women’s doubles pair Chu Wing Chi and Yu Yi Kiu to turn the tide with a 44-38 lead.
That left boy’s pair Njoto Michaelanglo/Yu Zhirui to finish the job, and the pair delivered, taking Hong Kong to a 55-43 victory and a place in the semi-finals.
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
[1] Thailand bt Indonesia 2-0 (110-97) 55-48, 55-49
[7] Hong Kong China bt India 2-1 (110-89) 55-44, 55-45
[5] Japan bt Chinese Taipei 2-0 (110-97) 55-45, 55-52
[3] China bt Malaysia 2-0 (110-69) 55-39, 55-30
SEMI-FINALS (3pm, Japan time)
Japan vs China
Thailand vs Hong Kong China
