Taiwanese shuttler Tai Tzu-ying was on Saturday denied a chance at a fourth title for the year, after she lost 15-21, 10-21 to He Bingjiao of China in their Yonex French Open women’s semi-final in Paris.
The world No. 8 He sped off to an 11-4 lead, and although Tai managed to rebound and gain seven consecutive points, she was unable to save the opening game.
In the second game, an out-of-sorts Tai trailed behind 1-7 before losing eight straight shots to He to reach 7-20, and ultimately lost in the 37-minute match.
Photo courtesy of Badmintonphoto
The world No. 2 said that she was not in good shape and “felt unwell,” but would try to regain her form before the BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China, on Dec. 14.
Tai thanked her fans for overcoming their jet lag to support her throughout the tournament.
Despite the defeat, Tai still holds an edge in her head-to-head meetings with He, having beaten her 10 times in 13 games.
Tai won the Thailand Open, Indonesia Open and Taipei Open in May, June and July this year respectively, and had won the French Open in 2017.
He was yesterday to face Carolina Marin, after the Spaniard dethroned Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in straight games.
In the men’s doubles semi-finals, Taiwan’s Lu Ching-yao and Yang Po-han beat England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy 21-15, 21-14 in 40 minutes.
The world No. 25 duo was yesterday to play Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India in the final.
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