Shenzhen: Japanese shuttler Kenta Nishimoto secured a place in the men’s singles final of the China Masters by defeating China’s Zhao Junpeng with a scoreline of 21-17, 21-8. This victory ensures that the final will be an all-Japanese affair as Nishimoto is set to face his compatriot Kodai Naraoka.
Highlights of Kenta Nishimoto vs. Zhao Junpeng in the 2023 China Masters semi-finals:
In the other men’s singles semi-final, the third seed, Kodai Naraoka, emerged victorious in a hard-fought 69-minute battle against fellow Japanese player Kanta Tsuneyama, with a final score of 21-15, 21-19.
Apart from their dominance in men’s singles, the Japanese team has also asserted control in the women’s doubles category, setting the stage for an intriguing final between defending champions Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota and the fifth-seeded duo Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida.
In a riveting semifinal match, Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota triumphed over China’s top-seeded pair Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan with a scoreline of 14-21, 21-16, 21-15. The resumption of the China Masters after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the defending champions, Fukushima Yuki/Hirota Ayaka, to the verge of defending their title. Meanwhile, Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida secured their spot in the final by defeating the Korean pair Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong 21-13, 22-20 on Saturday.
In the women’s singles category, China’s third-seeded player Chen Yufei emerged victorious in the semifinals against South Korea’s Kim Ga-Eun with a score of 21-16, 21-15. This win extended Chen Yufei’s head-to-head record against Kim Ga-Eun to 7 wins and 1 loss. Chen is now set to face her teammate, the eighth-seeded Han Yue, in Sunday’s final. Han Yue secured her place by defeating another Chinese player, Wang Zhiyi, with scores of 21-14, 21-18 on Saturday.
In the upcoming mixed doubles final, the reigning world champions Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung are set to go head-to-head with the world No. 1 pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong in a battle for the championship.
Despite the presence of three Chinese men’s pairs in the men’s doubles semi-finals, India’s top-seeded duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty managed to secure victory against China’s He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu with a scoreline of 21-15, 22-20. This result prevented the home team from monopolizing the men’s doubles final.
In the men’s doubles final, Rankireddy/Shetty will face off against China’s world No. 1 pair Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang. Liang/Wang secured their spot in the final by defeating teammates Chen Boyang/Liu Yi with scores of 21-17, 14-21, 21-15 in the semifinals.
