# Malaysian gives a fighting display against world No 8 Shi Yuqi
Qualifier Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin failed to reach the men’s singles final in the USD350,000 Yonex-Sunrise Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta India Open Masters in New Delhi on Saturday when he lost a three-game thriller to China’s fourth seed Shi Yuqi.
The No 8 ranked Chinese had to bring out his best to down the Malaysian, ranked No 86, 18-21, 21-10, 21-19. The Chinese even gave the thumbs up sign to Iskandar for the good match that lasted 69 minutes.
And Malaysia can be rest assured that Iskandar will next head to Alor Setar for the E-Plus Badminton Asia Team Championships which begin on Tuesday with his confidence boosted with his fine run in New Delhi.
En-route to the last four Iskandar came through the qualifying rounds and defeated India’s No 2 seed and world No 3 K. Srikanth in the second round before knocking out India’s Sameer Verma in the quarter-finals.
Iskandar is one of the four named for the singles. The others are Datuk Lee Chong Wei, Lee Zii Jia and Soong Joo Ven. 
 
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles defending champion P.V. Sindhu of India will face China-born Zhang Beiwen of the United States in the final. In the semi-finals Sindhu defeated Thailand’s former world champion Ratchanok Intanon 21-13, 21-15 while Beiwen defeated Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong China 14-21, 21-12, 21-19.BY RIZAL ABDULLAH 
 
SELECTED RESULTS (SEMI-FINALS)
 
 
Men’s singles
 
 
Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) beat Qiao Bin (Chn) 23-21, 21-16
 
Shi Yuqi (Chn) beat Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) 18-21, 21-10, 21-19
 
 
Women’s singles
 
 
P.V. Sindhu (Ind) beat Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-13, 21-15
 
Zhang Beiwen (US) beat Cheung Ngan Yi (Hkg) 14-21, 21-12, 21-19
 
 
 
Men’s doubles
 
 
Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Den) beat Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong (Chn) 21-19, 21-14
 
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) beat Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) 21-11, 21-16
 
 
 
Women’s doubles
 
 
Greysia Polii-Apryani Rahayu (Ina) beat Kamilla Rytter Juhl-Christinna Pedersen (Den) 21-14, 19-21, 21-18
 
Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (Tha) beat Du Yue-Li Yinhui (Chn) 21-19, 21-17
 
 
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