Chen Yufei overcomes Carolina Marín to set up finals clash with An Seyoung
Reigning Olympic singles champion Chen Yufei came out on top in a close semi-final with Rio 2016 gold medallist Carolina Marín 21-11, 17-21, 21-13 in badminton's 2024 Indonesia Open on Saturday (8 June).
The two Olympic champions traded points in the opening game before the People's Republic of China ace found her foothold. Chen scored five points on the trot to open daylight over her Spanish rival taking a five-point advantage (9-3).
It was one-way traffic from here on with Chen building her lead with Marin landing the odd score with little consequence.
The second game was a tighter affair with the lead changing hands throughout with Marin getting her nose in front first.
Chen counterpunched moving three points clear and looked set to stamp her authority on the three-time world champion.
But Marin found her groove and by the mid-game break she was 11-9 up and cruising along to go on to win the second game despite some late resistance from Chen to set up a third and deciding game.
The third game was a battle of attrition with nothing separating the two star shuttlers. Marin held a precarious 11-9 lead at the interval. Chen came out swinging after the mid-game break which saw her open a four-point lead
Earlier, world number one An Seyoung of the Republic of Korea beat Wang Zhi Yi 23-21, 21-13 to book her place in the women’s singles final.
Shi to face Antonsen in men's singles final
Denmark’s Anders Antonsen had to work hard for his win over world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 21-15, 19-21, 21- in the men’s singles semi-final.
Antonsen made easy work of the first game before Vitidsarn took a stand in the second in a tit-for-tat battle to level the scores.
The Dane held an 11-6 advantage at the mid-game break before opening a nine-point gap over his challenger before cruising to a 21-11 victory.
Antonsen will face world number two Shi Yu Qi of China, who had to come from behind to beat compatriot Li Shi Feng 21-19, 19-21, 14-21, in the other semi-final.