Dutch mixed doubles pair, Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek were not too far away from causing a big quarterfinal upset against the current double Asian Champions, Wang Yilyu and Huang Dong Ping.
Tabeling and Piek rank 13 places behind the number two in the world Chinese pair but were able to lead most of the way in the first game until a five-point run from Wang and Huang. 19-16 down, the Dutch duo then mustered up the energy to go on a five-point run of their own all the way to 21.
In the second game, it was one-way traffic with the Chinese taking it to a decider through a 21-8 game win. Tabeling and Piek then began the final game well, racing to a 10-5 lead, but then the pivotal moment was only switching sides at 11-10 up. With the momentum lost, Wang and Huang were able to see the match out with a 21-15 final game.
Swift work in singles
Carolina Marin made it look straightforward today in her quarterfinal against the experienced Saina Nehwal of India, winning in just half an hour 21-8, 21-7. The last time they met was in the Indonesia Masters last January, where Marin had to retire through injury. Marin will now face second seed Chen Yufei.
Viktor Axelsen faced the prospect of a revenge match against the player who knocked him out in last year’s Malaysia Masters, Chen Long. Their head to head in 2019 finished 4-2 in favour of the reigning Olympic champion, who seems to be hitting form again at the right time in readiness for Tokyo 2020. Both players navigated their way through rounds one and two quite comfortably, without dropping a game.
Axelsen displayed a powerful performance in the first game, running away with a 21-11 win. In almost exact symmetry, Chen Long stepped up and won the second game 21-12, and just like their two previous encounters, setting up an interesting decider. The first half of the final game was very even, but then Axelsen was able to find the shots that worked so well in the first game and pushed all the way to a 20-15 lead. Chen Long then saved five match points to make it 20-20, only to find a little extra to win 22-20. He now plays Ng Ka Long tomorrow.
For the full results and fixtures, click here.