Gwangju: China’s badminton legend Lin Dan, and Malaysia’s men’s pair Goh V Shem/Tan Wee missed out places on the 2019 BWF World Tour Finals as they lost in the Korea Masters men’s singles and men’s doubles finals respectively on Sunday.
Playing against a player 13 years younger than him, the 36-year-old Lin Dan couldn’t convert when he was leading at 21-20 in the first set, allowing Kanta Tsuneyama to smash his way for a 24-22 win.
In the second game, Tsuneyama scored 3 consecutive points to lead at 11-9 during the mid-game interval. Lin Dan looked tired and was moving slower after the interval, while Tsuneyama seized the opportunity to take the second set 21-12.
After the defeat, Lin Dan failed to earn the additional 30 ranking points needed in order to qualify for the 2019 BWF World Tour Finals. Winning the Korea Masters would give him 1050 ranking points.
Malaysia’s men’s doubles pair, Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong also failed to qualify for competing at the BWF season-ending event in Guangzhou, after losing to No. 6 seeds Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin of Taiwan.
Although Goh/Tan were able to save two match points in the second set, and were neck-and-neck with the Taiwanese pair in the decider, they have exposed a lot of their weaknesses during the final. For example, Tan Wee Kiong has committed too many uncharacteristic mistakes during critical moments, while Goh V Shem’s lift was too easy to be killed by the Taiwanese players. The No. 7 seeds from Malaysia couldn’t find answers to Wang Chi-Lin’s powerful smash, furthermore, their speed was not optimal compare to some top men’s pair in the world. Goh/Tan went down 19-21, 22-20, 19-21 in 59 minutes.
After Goh/Tan’s loss in the Korea Masters final, their compatriots, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik filled the spot to become the last men’s pair to qualify for the 2019 BWF World Tour Finals men’s doubles event.
Roughly one month after defeated Rio Olympic champion Carolina Marin to win the Super 750 French Open, Korea’s 17-year-old An Se Young did it again on Sunday by beating her senior, Sung Ji Hyun in a one-sided women’s singles with 21-13, 21-17.
In mixed doubles final, Malaysia’s Goh Soon Huat/Shevon Jemie Lai were no match for Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong losing 14-21, 15-21 while Japan’s unseeded Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida came back from dropping the first set to beat compatriots and the Rio Olympic gold medalists Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi 15-21, 21-17, 21-18.
