by Ian Marshall, Editor
It was a day when Japan was very much in camera.
Men’s Singles
…………Austria’s Daniel Habesohn, the top seed, booked his place in the final but he was tested; he needed the full seven games to beat Denmark’s Anders Lind, the no.15 seed (9-11, 12-14, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9), before in the quarter-final round rather more comfortably overcoming Poland’s Marek Badowski, the no.29 seed (11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-7).
…………Poland’s Jakub Dyjas, the no.12 seed, proved the comeback master; in the third round against French qualifier Andrea Landrieu, he lost the opening two games but then recovered (11-13, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-2, 11-6, 14-12). At the quarter-final stage, facing Japan’s Masaki Yoshida, the no.24 seed, he did the same (9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8).
…………Japan’s Takuya Jin continued to upset the pecking order. He beat Germany’s Ruwen Filus, the no.9 seed (8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 6-11, 11-8), before in the quarter-finals ousting Brazil’s Eric Jouti, the no.10 seed (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7).
…………After overcoming Romania’s Hunor Szocs, the no.14 seed (11-7, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9), Wei Shihao caused a major last eight upset. He beat Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej, the no.6 seed (7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10, 1-11, 11-8).
…………At the semi-final stage it is Daniel Habesohn versus Jakub Dyjas, Takuya Jin in opposition to Wei Shihao.
Women’s Singles
…………Lily Zhang of the United States caused a major third round upset; the no.15 seed, she beat Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, the top seed (11-7, 16-14, 9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 13-11). Alas the euphoria was short lived, in the next round she was beaten by Ukraine’s Margaryta Pesotska, the no.6 seed (11-7, 6-11, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9).
…………Satsuko Odo booked her place in the semi-finals by the very narrowest of margins. After overcoming Korea Republic qualifier, Shin Yubin (11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9), she accounted for colleague, Miyu Nagasaki, the no.3 seed, in a seven games thriller (11-6, 4-11,7-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, 12-10).
…………Hong Kong’s Minnie Soo Wai Yam, the no.4 seed, booked her last four place. Following a testing third round encounter against Russian qualifier, Olga Vorobeva (9-11, 11-5, 11-1, 8-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4), at the quarter-final stage she was in the fast lane. She beat Hungary’s Dora Madarasz, the no.13 seed, in four straight games (11-4, 11-6, 11-3, 11-5).
…………Hungary’s Georgina Pota, the no.2 seed, reserved her semi-final place but it was a struggle; following a five games third round success against Russian qualifier, Anastasia Kolish (11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9), she needed the full seven to overcome Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, the no.10 seed (10-12, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10, 5-11, 11-5, 11-8).
…………At the semi-final stage Margaryta Pesotska meets Satsuki Odo, Minnie Soo Wai Yam opposes Georgina Pota
Men’s Doubles
…………Brazil’s Eric Jouti and Gustavo Tsuboi, the top seeds, reached the final without the loss of a single game; at the semi-final stage they beat Iranian qualifiers Amin Ahmadian and Miad Lotfijanabi (11-5, 11-8, 11-4).
…………Chinese Taipei’s Huang Chien-Tu and Wang Tai-Wei emerged surprise finalists. Qualifiers, in the quarter-final round they beat Poland’s Marek Badowski and Patryk Zatowka, the no.2 seeds (11-7, 11-9, 11-7), prior to ousting Poland’s Jakub Dyjas and Maciej Kubik, the no.5 seeds, the reach the final (11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 6-11, 14-12).
Women’s Doubles
…………Japan’s Miyu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki, the no.6 seeds, caused a major quarter-final upset. They beat Hong Kong’s Ng Wing Nam and Minnie Soo Wai Yam, the top seeds (11-7, 12-10, 11-8), before overcoming Hungary’s Dora Madarasz and Szandra Pergel, the no.4 seeds (12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5), to reach the final.
…………An all Japanese final awaits, in the opposite half of the draw, Satsuki Odo and Saki Shibata, the no.2 seeds, progressed as expected. They ended the adventures of the combination formed by qualifiers, Norway’s Ma Wenting and Poland’s Magdalena Sikorska (11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6) to reach the final.
Under 21 Men’s Singles
…………Chinese Taipei’s Feng Yi-Hsin, the no.23 seed, accounted for Frenchman Bastien Rembert, the no.11 seed to seal the title (9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8). In the penultimate round, Bastien Rembert had caused a major upset by overcoming Austria’s Andreas Levenko, the top seed (9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8).
Under 21 Women’s Singles
…………Japan’s Miyu Nagasaki justified her top seeded billing; she overcame surprise finalist, Chinese Taipei’s Tsai Yu-Chin (11-5, 16-14, 11-6) to reserve the top step of the podium.
