World No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan beat India’s top-ranked Pusarla Sindhu on Friday to advance to the women’s singles semi-finals at the Yonex Internationaux de France de Badminton in Paris.
Tai was to play Spaniard Carolina Marin in the semi-finals, with that match to begin after press time last night.
In previous games against Marin, Tai has won seven and lost five.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Marin last month won the BWF Victor China Open Super 1000, defeating Tai 14-21, 21-17, 21-18 in the final.
FIERCE BATTLE
Tai beat Sindhu 21-16, 24-26, 21-17 at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, winning a fiercely fought match that lasted 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Tai and world No. 6 Sindhu battled for ascendency in the first game, with Tai leading 17-16 before taking control with four straight points to close it out.
The second game was similarly intense as they traded points from 11-11, with Sindhu finally clinching it 26-24.
Tai started the final game on the front foot, hitting the shuttlecock over her opponent’s tall frame and within bounds to take the lead by six points at one stage.
STREAK SNAPPED
Tai ended a two-match losing streak against Sindhu, including a loss at the BWF World Championships in August.
Before Friday’s match, they had met 15 times, with the Taiwanese shuttler claiming 10 victories.
Tai won the Yonex French Open in 2017 and was runner-up last year.
Earlier this month, Tai defended her title at the Denmark Open, defeating world No. 4 Nozomi Okuhara in straight games.
In the men’s doubles, Taiwan’s Su Ching-heng and Liao Min-chun exited after a 21-18, 23-21 semi-final loss to Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia in 43 minutes.
UPSET
On Friday, Su and Liao upset Japan’s Keigo Sonoda and Takeshi Kamura 21-14, 21-15 in the quarter-finals.
Hsu Ya-ching and Hu Ling-fang of Taiwan lost to Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota of Japan 11-21, 7-21 on Friday, failing to advance to the women’s doubles semi-finals.
The Yonex French Open carried a total purse of US$750,000. It is part of the BWF World Tour Super 750. It began on Tuesday and the finals are to be played today.
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