Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng power their way into Men’s Doubles final of the 2011 Japan Open Super Series
China’s ace shuttlers, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng powered their way into Men’s Singles final after beating Malaysia’s Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong in the semi-final contest at the 2011 Japan Open Super Series, in Tokyo, on Saturday, September 22.
The ruling World Champions, Cai and Fu, who are also the top shuttlers in the Men’s Doubles world rankings, emerged as the winners against World Number Five pair of Koo Kien and Tan Boon, who were the third seeds in the event. The Chinese duo won the 64-minute
battle in three games by playing to their full potential.
In the opening set of the match, both sides remained close by playing fast and positive badminton. The Chinese were quick at the net, while the Malaysians were hitting the bird hard to destroy the defence of their higher ranked opponents. However, the Chinese
pair managed a two-point lead of 11-9 until the one-minute break.
After the interval, Cai and Fu geared up their speed by controlling the pace of the game at the net. They were playing with precision and their net play was impressive, which helped them in winning the opening set by a margin of 21-17 in 19 minutes.
Koo Kien and Tan Boon changed their strategy at the net and started to keep the bird low. It worked well in their favour as they dominated the game with superb control. The Chinese pair remained close until the ending points where they made a few mistakes,
and lost the set by a 19-21 margin in 23 minutes.
In the deciding game of this semi-final fight, both pairs employed their elite skills to dominate the game but failed to take an advantage until the score entered in the concluding part.
Cai and Fu showed their mental toughness at the end and tackled the situation with greater confidence to win the set by a 21-19 margin, in 22 minutes. They won the match by a margin of 21-17, 19-21 and 21-19.
In the Men’s Doubles final, the top seeded Chinese duo will take on Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Bona Septano, who are the fourth seeds in the Japan Open’s draw.
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