CHANGZHOU, China (Xinhua): China's Weng Hongyang continued his remarkable performance at the badminton China Open, advancing to the men's singles final after defeating Indonesia's Jonatan Christie on Saturday.
Weng, world No. 25, had a 2-2 head-to-head record against the seventh seed before this match, although he had lost their two most recent meetings, including a round of 32 loss at last year's China Open.
Despite a slow start, Weng scored four consecutive points midway through the first set to claim it 21-17. Christie regained his momentum in the second set and set up an 18-15 lead, but Weng rallied with a 6-0 run to secure a 21-18 victory, reaching his first-ever BWF World Tour Super 1000 final.
"I think Weng is playing very well. Hopefully he can be the champion," said Christie.
"I am currently adjusting my state and constantly trying to get the feel for competitions," said Weng. "Indeed, I went for a long period without competing due to my back injury, but now I am gradually regaining some confidence in matches."
The 25-year-old will face Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the final, after Naraoka defeated Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the other semifinal later on Saturday.
In the women's doubles, Li Wenmei/Zhang Shuxian defeated compatriots Jia Yifan/Zheng Yu in straight sets, setting up an all-Chinese final against Li Yijing/Luo Xumin, who achieved a 2-0 victory over the South Korean duo Jeong Na-eun/Kim Hye-jeong.
In the women's singles, third seed Wang Zhiyi of China progressed to the final with a 21-15, 21-18 victory over seventh seed Aya Ohori of Japan. The 24-year-old will compete against Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki in Sunday's final.
Elsewhere, China's mixed doubles pair Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping, along with the men's doubles pair He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu, both advanced to their respective finals with straight-set wins, giving host China a chance to sweep all five titles potentially. - Xinhua
