Zhu Lin shines, Leverdez upsets Hsieh
News 10:27 AM
Former
world champion Zhu Lin continued her winning ways when she beat France’s
Pi Hongyan to advance to the semi-finals of the US$120,000 YONEX US
Open Grand Prix Gold tournament in California on Thursday.
Fresh from winning the Canada
Open last week, the unseeded Zhu Lin, again stopped Hongyan in another
straight games victory. The Chinese won 21-16, 21-10.
At
the Canada Open, Zhu Lin beat Hongyan in the second round 22-20, 21-19.
Zhu
Lin, world champion in 2007, will take on Germany’s Juliane Schenk in
the last four. Schenk, the No 3 seed, beat Singapore’s Fu Mingtian
21-11, 21-13.
The
other semi-final will feature Japan’s Shizuka Uchida against
Netherlands’ Judith Meulendijks.
In
the men’s singles, Hongyan’s teammate, Brice Leverdez, had better
fortunes, smashing his way to a 21-17, 21-15 win over Chinese Taipei’s
Hsieh Yu Hsing. Leverdez, who was runner-up
in Canada last week, showed greater hunger and tactical discipline to
subdue the fourth seed.
Uchida,
on the other hand, beat Russia’s Stanislav Pukhov 21-18, 21-13. The
second semi-final will be between England’s Rajiv Ouseph and Singapore’s
Derek Wong.
England’s
hopes, however, were dashed in the mixed doubles when Nathan
Robertson-Jenny Wallwork slumped to a 21-12, 21-15 defeat at the hands
of Chinese Taipei’s Chen Hung Ling-Cheng Wen Hsing.
Waiting
for Chen-Cheng in the last four are Germany’s Michael Fuchs-Birgit
Overzier who survived a first game loss to beat Denmark’s Jacob
Chemnitz-Julie Houmann 19-21, 21-15, 22-20.
Top
seeds Robert Mateusiak-Nadiezda Zieba will take on Chinese Taipei’s Lee
Sheng Mu-Chien Yu Chin in the other semi-final.
Lee
will be in action again in the men’s doubles, with Fang Chieh Min, and
looking to add a fourth title to their resume this year when they take
on Korea’s Kim Ki Jung-Shin Baek Cheol. The
Chinese Taipei pair, who won the Singapore and Indonesia Open Super
Series in June, won the Canada Open title last week.
In
the women’s doubles, Japan’s Rie Eto-Yu Wakita play Singapore’s Shinta
Mulia Sari-Yao Lei, the Singapore Open Super Series winners while
Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin play Germany’s Sandra
Marinello-Birgit Overzier for a place in the final.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 10:27 AM.
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