Two-time world champion Carolina Marin of Spain beat Chinese former world number one Wang Yihan in today’s Yonex Hong Kong Open Superseries semi-finals. The world number one saw off Yihan in straight games 21-18, 21-16 taking her a step closer to her fifth Superseries title of the year.
Marin fell in the semi-finals at last year’s Hong Kong Open, but has had a strong 2015, defending her World Championship title in August and shooting up the rankings from number eight to one.
“A lot of things I have changed in my game, in my mind and, of course, how I see the tournament — that I want to win the title,” Marin said to AFP after she booked a place in her eighth final of the season.
“I think the important thing is I keep my focus on all my training. This is the key of my game.”
Marin will face ninth seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, who beat Thailand’s former world champion Ratchanok Intanon 26-24, 21-6 — in Sunday’s final. Okuhara, the current world number nine, downed Marin in the semi-finals of last year’s Hong Kong Open, but then failed to take the title.
At this year’s India Open Superseries, Marin beat the Japanese shuttler, who won the Yonex Japan Open earlier this year, in three games.
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Boe and Mogensen eye maiden Hong Kong Open title
Denmark’s Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen bid to win their maiden title at the Hong Kong Open but must overcome their fierce rivals Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong, the world number one duo from Korea. This will be their 6th clash since 2013. The Koreans have won all these six matches.
In today’s semi-finals, the Danes beat current world champions and also the defending champions Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in three games 14-21, 21-12, 21-16 to move in their second Superseries final of the year.
Former world number one Lee Chong Wei beat giant-slayer Angus Ng — who downed Chinese badminton legend Lin Dan in the second round — to net a place in his third consecutive Super Series final at the Hong Kong Open on Saturday.
The finals of the 350.000 Dollars event will be played on Sunday at 13.30 local Hong Kong time.
All five finals will be broadcasted by
BWF's dedicated YouTube channel. Please be aware that due to tv copyrights the streaming may be geo blocked in some countries.
Previous Hong Kong Open champions from Europe:
2013 Chris Adcock/Gabby Adcock (ENG)
2010 Joachim Fischer/Christinna Pedersen (DEN)
2009 Robert Mateusiak/Nadiezda Zieba (POL)
1998 Camilla Martin (DEN) & Michael Søgaard/Rikke Olsen (DEN)
1997 Peter Gade (DEN)
Click here for champions of the tournament since 1982.
Click here for all results from Hong Kong.
Article by Manuel Rösler. Photos (LIVE) by BadmintonPhoto.