After entering this week’s Blibli Indonesian Open in need of a strong showing to retain her top ranking, Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday pulled off a big win to move a step closer to her goal.
Tai, who had lost five of her previous six matches against Ratchanok Intanon before toppling her in Malaysia in April, outlasted her Thai rival again 21-18, 16-21, 21-12 in a battle that lasted just more than an hour.
Tai appeared to be in trouble in the first game, trailing 11-7 and 17-14, before rattling off seven of the final eight points to gain an early edge.
Photo: AFP
Ratchanok stepped up the pace a game later, opening a 12-6 lead after an early 5-5 stalemate, and protected her advantage to even the match.
However, Tai in the deciding game jumped out to a 13-6 lead and never let Ratchanok get closer than three points before putting her away.
The 25-year-old Taiwanese has plenty at stake in this tournament, one of only three top-tier HSBC Badminton World Federation World Tour Super 1000 events this year.
The defending champion aims to firmly establish herself as the top player in a season that has seen has play sparingly.
Her No. 1 ranking, which she has held since December 2016 save for two weeks, was in peril in Jakarta, as her lead over No. 2 Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, No. 3 Chen Yufei of China and No. 4 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan was down to only a few thousand ranking points.
Tai’s win yesterday means that she cannot be surpassed by Chen this week, but she will need to reach the finals of the US$1.25 million tournament to ensure her lead over Okuhara.
Chen and Okuhara played separate matches later yesterday for spots in the semi-finals.
Tai will next play the winner of yesterday’s quarter-final showdown between Yamaguchi and Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand.
In the men’s singles, Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen continued his winning run by defeating Indonesian Jonatan Christie 16-21, 21-18, 21-14 to reach the semi-finals, where he is to face Kantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand.
Chou has won all three of their meetings, including at the Asia Championships in April.
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