Malaysia Open: Zhang Nan – Zhao Yunlei topple Chan Peng Soon – Goh Liu Ying in semi-final contest
China’s top seeds and World Number One shuttlers, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, prove their supremacy in Mixed Doubles category as they have toppled Malaysia’s Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying in the semi-final contest of Malaysia Open Super Series 2012 on Saturday,
January 14, in Malaysia.
The top seeded Chinese shuttlers showed their authority in the game and proved too strong for Peng Soon and Liu Ying, who are positioned at number 11 in Mixed Doubles world placements. Nan and Yunlei finished the match in straight sets by consuming just
33 minutes in the court.
Peng Soon and Liu Ying, who have been playing remarkable badminton in all previous matches of the tournament, could not continue their winning run and lost to the top seeds without taking any game.
Nan and Yunlei, who are in their prime form and have won numerous tournaments in the last 12 months, are on the right track to win the Malaysia Open. In the semi-final battle, they destroyed local hopes by thrashing the Malaysian duo in an emphatic fashion.
The opening game started in an interesting way but Nan and Yunlei took no time in setting up an early lead. They controlled the rallies and dictated their local opponents in all corners. The positive and fast play of Chinese shuttlers helped them to set
up a reasonable gap until the break.
After the interval, Nan and Yunlei remained on track and showed no sign of slowing down the game. On the other hand, the Malaysian couple completely failed to match the speed and perfection of their higher ranked Chinese opponents. Nan and Yunlei ended the
first set with a convincing margin of 21-13.
In the second game, Peng Soon and Liu Ying changed their strategy and started to come fast at net. It worked well and helped them to remain close to their challengers in first half of the game.
However, Nan and Yunlei controlled the game in the second half and ended it with a decent difference of 21-16. This 33-minute match ended with a 21-13 and 21-16 score on the board.
In the final showdown, Nan and Yunlei will be up against their team-mates, Xu Chen and Ma Jin who defeated Indonesia’s Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in the other semi-final clash.
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