Kento Momota of Japan competes during the men's singles quarterfinal match between Kento Momota of Japan and his compatriot Kanta Tsuneyama at China Open 2019 badminton tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Top seed Kento Momota of Japan and Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain powered through to the men's and women's singles semifinals.
CHANGZHOU, China, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Kento Momota of Japan and Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain powered through to the men's and women's singles semifinals respectively, while Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei was edged out in the 2019 Badminton China Open here on Friday.
World No. 1 Momota breezed past compatriot Kanta Tsuneyama 21-11, 21-8, booking his spot in the semifinals, where he will face China's Chen Long, who beat NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, China 21-13, 21-13 to advance.
"We played before in the Basel World Championships and that was a intense competition," the Rio Olympic champion Chen said. "I was very concentrated on the court today and I did well at the beginning of both sets."
The fifth seed Chen also expressed his expectation for the next battle, saying "I haven't played with Momota for a long time and I am quite looking forward to it."
No. 2 seed Chou suffered a shocking loss, beaten by Anders Antonsen of Denmark 17-21, 11-21, while his teammate Tai Tzu Ying defeated Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-17, 21-10 in the women's singles quarterfinals.
Carolina Marin of Spain returns a shuttlecock to He Bingjiao of China during the women's singles quarterfinal match at China Open 2019 badminton tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 20, 2019. Carolina Marin won 2-1. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Another last eight game on women's part saw Marin fight back from one set down to oust China's He Bingjiao 11-21, 21-12, 21-15.
"I have to control the shuttlecock a lot in the first set because of the wind," explained Marin. "Once we changed sides, I changed my game plan against her - don't make mistakes and do a lot of running. So she got tired."
The 26-year-old Marin suffered a broken cruciate ligament in her right knee while playing in the final of the Indonesian Masters last January and just came back onto the court this month.
"I feel I'm improving. The most important thing is that I have so much confidence in my name," said the three-time and reigning world champion. "I don't feel any pain, so I just want to keep improving my game."
He Bingjiao of China returns a shuttlecock to Carolina Marin of Spain during the women's singles quarterfinal match at China Open 2019 badminton tournament in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Third seed Chen Yufei of China took 45 minutes to eliminate Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand and will play the second-seeded Tai from Chinese Taipei in the semifinals on Saturday. ■
