KUALA LUMPUR – National badminton women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei’s diligence and persistence paid off when she advanced to the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open after pulling out all the stops to beat sixth seed Han Yue from China in their quarter-final match in Hong Kong Coliseum, Kowloon today.
Jin Wei spent 52 minutes doing battle on court against the Chinese player, as the match stretched to three sets before winning 12-21, 21-17, 21-18, setting up a semi-final match against unseeded Zhang Yi Man of China, who brushed aside her compatriot Wang Zhi Yi’s challenge, winning 21-17, 21-17 in another quarter-final match.
Fellow Malaysian and national men’s singles player Ng Tze Yong also qualified for the semi-finals, after beating Denmark’s Magnus Johannesen 21-18, 21-12 in the quarter-finals, but will be up against fifth seeded Indonesian Jonatan Christie, who beat Taiwanese Lee Chia Hao 21-19, 21-18 in another quarter-final match.
In the mixed doubles event, Malaysians Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie booked their place in the semi-finals as well, brushing aside Indonesian pair, Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari 21-10, 21-18 in the quarter-finals.
They will play fourth seeds Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet after they downed second seeds Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue of France, 19-21, 21-9, 21-11.
Sadly, national men’s doubles pair Nur Izzuddin Rumsani-Goh Sze Fei failed to advance further in their event after they crashed out against eighth seeded Taiwanese pair Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin 19-21, 18-21 in their quarter-final match. – Bernama, September 16, 2023
