Taipei: Malaysian fans are buzzing with excitement ahead of the two big games at Chinese Taipei Open when Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan will take on Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the men’s singles semis, while Taiwan’s World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying will battle Malaysian player Soniia Cheah in the women’s singles last four on Saturday.
The unseeded Lee Zii Jia dominated the first match against Indian player Ajay Jayaram in the quarter-finals when he knocked out the World No. 58 Indian 21-16, 21-9 in 28 minutes.
Men’s singles No. 1 seed Chou also comfortably booked his place in the semi-finals after a 21-19, 21-7 win over Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yu.
In women’s competition, the No. 8 seed Soniia Cheah stunned No. 4 seed Pai Yu Po of Taiwan 21-19, 21-18 in front of the Taiwanese crowd on Friday to reach her second semi-final of the year.
“Honestly, it’s not my best game, but I’m lucky to get past this barrier. But my next game would be a tough one,” said Soniia.
Cheah, who has lost three-times to Tai Tzu Ying in 2018 will take on each other again on Saturday.
“I’ve played several times against Tai, but I’ve never able to beat her. What can I say, I will give my best and expect a miracle,” added Cheah.
Tai, on the other hand, was not troubled by compatriot Sung Shuo Yun in the quarter-finals, winning 21-6, 21-14 in just 25 minutes.
In the mixed doubles event, Malaysia’s third seeded pair Chen Tang Jie/Peck Yen Wei also advanced to the semi-finals after a 17-21, 21-12, 23-21 win over Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari in the quarter-finals.
Chen/Peck will play the Taiwanese mixed doubles pair Yang Po Hsuan/Wu Ti Jung on Saturday.
