# Malaysia also stay alive in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles
Reigning World Junior and Youth Olympics champion Goh Jin Wei is slowly making her presence felt in senior tournaments and delivered a stunning upset to reach the semi-finals in the USD150,000 Yonex German Open in Muelheim on Friday.
In the quarter-finals the Penangite ranked 26, upset fourth seed and 12th ranked China-born Zhang Beiwen of the United States 21-19, 19-21, 21-16 in 53 minutes.
For a place in the final, the Malaysian will face Japan’s fifth-ranked Akane Yamaguchi who defeated compatriot and fifth seed Sayaka Takahashi 21-19, 22-20.
Jin Wei, however, has a poor record against Yamaguchi who leads 5-1 in the head to head count but with her new found confidence she is capable of another upset.
The 19-year-old Jin Wei has also displayed tremendous “lasting power” to win all her matches in Muelheim in three games. In the first round, Jin Wei defeated China’s Zhang Yiman and in the second round stopped Korea’s Kim Ga-eun.
National women’s singles coach Datuk Tey Seu Bok, delighted with Jin Wei’s performance said:
“Beating higher ranked players will boost her confidence. She should remain focused in her matches and not too bothered whether it is the quarter-finals or the semi-finals.”
In the second round, Jin Wei was also taken the distance before coming back from a game down to prevail 10-21, 21-12, 23-21 against Ga-eun in a 52-minute encounter.
Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s singles, however, ended with the defeat of newly crowned national champion Soong Joo Ven and the country’s top-ranked Lee Zii Jia.
Joo Ven lost to Denmark’s Hans Kristian Vittinghus 21-13, 18-21, 21-15 after a 68-minute battle while Zii Jia fell to Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in straight games 18-21, 20-22 in 49 minutes.
In the mixed doubles defending champions, fifth seeds, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie reached the last four with an upset with a hard-fought 23-21, 21-16 win over fourth seeds He Jiting-Du Yue of China.
The Malaysians will face Korea’s Seo Seung-jae-Che Yujung in the semi-finals. The Koreans packed off second seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand 21-10, 14-21, 21-19.
National men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin continued their fine run in Muelheim to reach the last four with another stunning performance – this time knocking out compatriots 19th ranked and eighth seeds, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 22-20, 21-18.
In the second round, Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin knocked out China’s world No 8 Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong 21-16, 17-21, 21-16.
For a place in the final, the Malaysians will face second seeds Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe of Japan who denied an all-Malaysian semi-final with a 23-21, 21-12 win over Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi. RIZAL ABDULLAH
