KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s professional pair Lim Chiew Sien-Vivian Hoo continued their good run in the Swiss Open badminton championship by upsetting the sixth seeds in women’s doubles to qualify for the semi-finals in Basel.
In the quarter-finals early this morning, the Malaysians had to work hard to beat India’s Ashwini Ponnappa-Reddy N. Sikki 22-20, 23-21 in 54 minutes.
Chiew Sien-Vivian took a 7-2 lead in the first game but ran into strong resistance until 20-20 before clinching the final two points.
The second game was just as closely fought as Chiew Sien-Vivian had to dig into their reserves to win 23-21.
In the semi-final scheduled for 2pm (9pm in Malaysia), they will face Bulgarian sisters Stoeva Gabriela-Stoeva Stefani, the third seeds.
Other members of the national delegation have performed well in the tournament.
National men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin qualified for the semi-finals by beating Indonesia’s Leo Carnando-Daniel Marthin 21-18, 19-21, 21-12.
Meanwhile, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yek extended their strong form by defeating German pair of Mark Lamsfuss-Marvin Seidel 21-11, 21-13 in last night's quarter-finals.
Also through to the semi-finals are mixed doubles pairs Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, who will play each other for a place in the final.
64th-seed S. Kisona failed to reach the semi-finals despite making a remarkable comeback against former world number one Saina Nehwal 17-21, 21-13, 21-13 in the round of 16.
She subsequently lost to Thailand's Supanida Katethong 11-21, 12-21 in the quarter-finals. – Bernama, March 26, 2022