Mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie gave their Philippines SEA Games medal hopes a big boost when they marched into the semi-finals in the Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open by knocking Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
The Malaysians packed off the Thai third seeds in a 67-minute battle to prevail 16-21, 23-21, 21-12 to advance to the last four at the Coliseum1-17, 19-21, 23-21 defeat 2
This is the second time the Malaysian pair had beaten the Thais in two weeks. They beat the World Championships silver medal in the quarter-finals in the Fuzhou China Open but lost to China’s Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong.
The win in Hong Kong has boosted the hopes of a podium finish in the SEA Games. For a place in the final Soon Huat-Shevon will face China’s He Jiting-Du Yue – 21-17, 21-17 winners over Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet.
Soon Huat-Shevon are the only Malaysians left standing in the USD400,000 Hong Kong Open after both the Malaysian pairs in the men’s doubles were shown the exit in the quarter-finals.
Aaron Chia-Soh Woo Yik came unstuck against China’s No 3 seeds Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen in their 17-21, 21-19, 21-23 defeat in 56 minutes. It is a match the Malaysians could have won but buckled under pressure and failed to keep their nerves.
Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi went out in straight games – losing 13-21, 19-21 to Korea’s Choi Solgyeu-Seo Seung Jae in 34 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Indonesian shuttlers Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting will battle each other for a place in the final. No 8 seed Ginting, staged a remarkable recovery to defeat second seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 8-21, 21-19, 21-13 in 70-minutes.
Sixth-seeded Christie smashed his way to a 21-15, 21-13 win over Denmark’s fourth-seeded Anders Antonsen. Unseeded home hopes Lee Cheuk Yiu pulled off a sensational 21-14, 21-19 win Danish hope and former world champion Viktor Axelsen in his quarter-final match.
Cheuk Yiu will face K. Srikanth of India who needed only 15 minutes and one game to book his semi-final slot when fifth seed Chen Long of China quit with a thigh injury after losing the first game 21-13. RIZAL ABDULLAH
