Pi Hongyan beats Tai Tzu Ying in Women’s Singles semi-final of the 2011 Canada Open Grand prix
France’s elite shuttler, Pi Hongyan, proved her dominance as she defeated Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying in the Women’s Singles semi-final of the 2011 Canada Open Grand Prix, in Canada, on Saturday, July 23.
World Number 24 in the international rankings, Hongyan, proved her worth against Tzu Ying by playing fascinating badminton and won the semi-final battle in three sets by working hard for 55 minutes. The Taipei shuttler failed to perform well in the final
set and lost the match after playing superb badminton for three games.
Hongyan opened her campaign against Tzu Ying in a wonderful manner and reached 11-7 by wasting no time in prolonging the rallies. Her variations kept the Taipei shuttler under pressure, as she remained guessing where the bird was going to land from every
stroke of her opponent.
After the break, the French shuttler remained ahead of her challenger by playing with precision. She left no room in the court for her rival to score points. Hongyan won the opening game with a three-point gap of 21-18, in 20 minutes.
Tzu Ying displayed better badminton in the second game and reached at 11-8 without committing any error this time. Her shot selection and execution in this set was quite impressive, when compared to the opening game. The French was unable to continue her
winning run in this game and lost it with a margin of 16-21, in 17 minutes.
The deciding set of this wonderful semi-final match was quite interesting, where both players remained close until the fight entered into the final phase. Hongyan played planned badminton at the end, as she manipulated the weaker sides of her opponent and
won the set by a difference of 21-16, in 18 minutes. The match ended in 55 minutes with a 21-18, 16-21 and 21-16 margin.
In the Women’s Singles final of the event, Hongyan will fight against Shao Chieh Cheng of Chinese Taipei, who also worked hard in defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in a three-set battle in the semi-final.
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