# Iskandar falls to defending champion Ajay Jayaram of India
# Kien Keat-Boon Heong also make the semis
Goh Soon Huat is Malaysia’s sole representative in the men’s singles semi-finals in the USD50,000 Yonex Dutch Open Grand Prix in Almere after Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin fell by the wayside in the quarter-finals on Friday.
The Thomas Cupper battled for an hour before he prevailed against Germany’s 16th seed Joachim Persson 21-12, 20-22, 22-20 in a tough match match which could have gone either way.
Soon Huat’s opponent for a place in the final is defending champion Ajay Jayaram of India who showed Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin the exit also in a three-set thriller.
Third seeded Ajay, the World No 26, defeated the Malaysian, ranked 69th, 21-19, 18-21, 21-14 in a 66 minute battle and take his head to head count to 3-1.
This is the first time Soon Huat and Jayaram will be crossing paths but the Indian, who finished runners-up to China’s Chen Long in the Korean Open, will take the court as favourite.
Earlier former Asian junior champion Soo Teck Zhi bowed out tamely in the finals, losing 5-21, 12-21, in 30 minutes to Denmark’s Emil Holst, the 15th seed.
For their efforts in reaching the quarter-finals the Malaysians will take USD300 in prize money.
In the men’s doubles former World No 1 and Asian Games champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong kept their hopes of reaching their second successive final alive.
The seventh seeded Malaysians came back from a set down to knockout Thailand’s Bodin Issara-Nipitphon Puangpuapech 18-21, 21-15, 21-14 in 47 minutes.
In the semi-finals, Kien Keat-Boon Heong, who are chasing the ticket to play in 2016 Rio Olympic, will face the Taiwanese pair of Lee Zhe-huei-Yang Lee.
Last week Kien Keat-Boon Heong reached the final in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold in Bangkok but were beaten 22-20, 21-23, 16-21 by Indonesia’s Wahyu Nayaka Arya Pankaryanira-Ade Yusuf for the title.
SELECTED RESULTS (QUARTER_FINALS)
Men’s singles
Ajay Jayaram (Ind) beat Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) 21-19, 18-21, 21-14
Raul Must (Est) beat RMV Gurusaidutt (Ind)19-21, 21-14, 21-18
Emil Holst (Den) beat Soo Teck Zhi (Mas) 21-5, 21-12
Goh Soon Huat (Mas) beat Joachim Persson (Ger) 21-12, 20-22, 22-20
Men’s doubles
Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) beat Bodin Issara-Nipitphon Puangpuapech (Tha) 18-21, 21-15, 21-14
Manu Attri-B. Sumeeth Reddy (Ind) beat Max Schewenger-Josche Zuzwonne (Ger) 18-21, 21-13, 21-19
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