Day 5 saw a packed crowd at the National Indoor Arena witness more staggering badminton.
It was a proud day for YONEX as our star players progressed to Sunday’s Finals.
Lee Chong Wei (VTZF) made it through to an astonishing 5th consecutive All England Final with a dominant performance over Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand. The Thai qualifier managed to keep up with Chong Wei’s rapid pace in the first game, however the top seed’s incessant speed of play wore his opponent down to win 22-20, 21-8 in just 33 minutes.
Chong Wei will now aim to become a 3-time All England Champion on Sunday when he faces Chen Long of China.
The Women’s Singles Semi Final was an all YONEX match up as Ratchanok Inthanon (ARC10) faced Saina Nehwal (NR700RP).
8th seed Ratchanok took an 11-10 lead into the interval in a close first game. Her high tempo and powerful smash gave her the edge over Saina, winning the first game 21-15. The second game saw Saina fight back with some precise hitting to the body making it difficult for Ratchanok to reply. Ratchanok upped her game and responded with a flurry of heavy smashes to all areas of the court. In a tight second game Ratchanok eventually ran out victorious winning 21-19.
The teenage superstar now progresses to her first All England Final where she meets 7th seed Tine Baun from Denmark.
Good luck to both players.
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Tournament Results Semi Finals
Men’s Singles
[1]Lee Chong Wei (VTZF)(MAS) def. Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (THA) 22-20 21-8
Women’s Singles
[8]Ratchanok Inthanon (ARC10)(THA) def, [2]Saina Nehwal(NR700RP) 21-15 21-19
Men’s Doubles
[4]Hiroyuki Endo(VTZF)/Kenichi Hayakawa (JPN) def. Maneepong Jongjit (VT80)/Nipitphon Puangpuapech (VT80)(THA) 22-20 21-15