# No third successive final for Peng Soon-Liu Ying
# Malaysians fall to Chinese pair in the semis
# Chinese shuttlers show their might in making four all-China finals
# Only the men’s doubles final will be an all-Korean final
Mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying knew what was in store for them and were no match for top seeds and tournament favourites Xu Chen-Ma Jin in the semi-finals of the USD150,000 China Masters in Jiangsu on Saturday.
The Malaysians had upset the Chinese, ranked world No 4, in the second round in the Malaysia Open Superseries Premier in Shah Alam earlier this month for their only win in six outings then.
But their seventh encounter turned out to be a reality check for the Malaysians that there is still a big gap that needs to be checked if they harbour winning a medal in this year’s Rio Olympics in August.
Peng Soon-Liu Ying, the world No 11, won New Zealand Open Grand Prix Gold and did well to finish runners-up in the Malaysian Open. However, reaching their third successive final was way out of their reach.
The Malaysians lasted only 36 minutes in their 11-21, 11-21 defeat to Xu Chen-Ma Jin as the Chinese gained sweet revenge for their defeat in the Malaysian Open.
As expected the men’s singles final will be between top seed Chen Long and second seed Lin Dan after both won their semi-final matches in contrasting style on Saturday.
Chen Long had to battle for a good 74 minutes before he could subdue a stubborn 12th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand 21-15, 19-21, 21-14.
Lin Dan, who was involved in a three-set battle with young compatriot Lu Guangzu in the quarter-finals on Friday, had a much easier match in the semifinals in the ‘battle of the Lins’ against Lin Guipu.
Four-time winner Lin Dan stayed on course for a fifth title when scored an easy 21-13, 21-15 win in 40 minutes over Lin Guipu. The five-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion won the China Masters in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2014 while Chen Long is two-time winner, having won in 2011 and 2012.
The women’s singles final will be between top seed Li Xuerui and fifth seed Sun Yu. Xuerui defeated Thai hope Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 21-14, 22-20 in 42 minutes while Sun Yu overcame compatriot Chen Yufei 23-21, 21-14.
The men’s doubles final will be an all-Korean affair with world No 1 and top seeds Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong taking on third seeds Kim-Gi-rung-Kim Sa-rang, the Malaysian Open Superseries Premier champions.
The Luo twins – Luo Ying and Luo Yu, the No 1 seeds will do battle with their unseeded compatriots Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan for the title in the women’s doubles.
Xu Chen-Ma Jin will take on seventh seeds Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen for the title after the latter won 21-17, 21-11 against Japan’s Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles
Chen Long (Chn) beat Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (Tha) 21-15, 19-21, 21-14
Lin Dan (Chn) beat Lin Guipu (Chn) 21-13, 21-15
Men’s doubles
Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor) beat Huang Kaixiang-Zheng Siwei (Chn) 21-9, 21-11
Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang (Kor) beat Takeshi Kumura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) 15-21, 21-10, 21-17
Women’s singles
Li Xuerui (Chn) beat Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Tha) 21-14, 22-20
Sun Yu (Chn) beat Chen Yufei (Chn) 23-20, 21-14
Women’s doubles
Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) beat Della Destiara Haris-Rosyita Eka Putri Sari (Ina) 21-9, 21-11
Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) beat Huang Dongping-Zhong Qianxin (Chn) 21-13, 3-4 (rtd)
Mixed doubles
Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn) beat Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (Mas) 21-11, 21-11
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino (Jpn) 21-17, 21-11
