Hangzhou: In what promises to be riveting semi-finals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games badminton men’s team event, China and India emerged triumphant over Japan and South Korea respectively, setting the stage for a highly expected showdown on Sunday.
China’s resilient performance marks their second consecutive trip to the finals and is a bid for their seventh historical gold in this category. Meanwhile, India’s journey is a monumental one; they’ve reached the Asian Games men’s team final for the first time ever, riding on the coattails of their historic Thomas Cup win last year.
The Chinese team, defending their title, made a comeback against Japan, finishing at 3-1 on Saturday. China’s top singles player, Shi Yuqi, faced an initial setback against Kenta Nishimoto, losing 21-10, 16-21, 14-21.
Highlights of Shi Yu Qi vs. Kenta Nishimoto in the 2022 Asian Games men’s team semi-finals:
However, the tides began to turn in China’s favor. The World No. 2 men’s pair – Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang clinched a nail-biting victory against Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, securing 23-21 and 25-23 wins in straight-set. Li Shifeng then delivered for China, overpowering Kanta Tsuneyama 21-16, 21-10. The finale saw Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi’s relentless efforts pay off as they edged past Akira Koga/Taichi Saito 15-21, 21-14, 21-17, sealing the deal for China.
Highlights of Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi vs. Akira Koga/Taichi Saito in the 2022 Asian Games men’s team semi-finals:
In the tie between India and Korea, India’s strategy leaned heavily on their men’s singles prowess, helping them carve out a narrow 3-2 win over the formidable South Koreans, also known as the “Tai Chi Tigers”.
The opening match witnessed World No. 7 HS Prannoy staging a comeback against Jeon Hyeok Jin, winning 18-21, 21-16, 21-19. But the Koreans didn’t back down, as their reigning men’s doubles world champions, Seo Seung Jae/Kang Min Hyuk, outplayed India’s World No. 3 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 21-13, 26-24 to level the overall score at 1-1.
However, India’s momentum in the singles continued when World No. 14 Lakshya Sen racked up an emphatic 21-7, 21-9 win against World No. 119 Lee Yun Gyu, who had previously defeated World No. 19 Ng Tze Yong in the first round and World No. 5 Jonatan Christie in the second round.
Nevertheless, the Korean team rallied again in the second men’s doubles match, with Kim Won-Ho/Na Sung-Seung besting M.R. Arjun/Dhruv Kapila 21-16, 21-11.
In the decisive third men’s singles clash that would determine the finalist, Indian stalwart Kidambi Srikanth showcased his class and his experience. Trailing initially, he turned the game on its head to conquer South Korea’s Cho Geonyeop 12-21, 21-16, 21-14, securing India’s spot in the final.
