An Se Young, Jonatan Christie advance to India Open finals
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An Se Young, Jonatan Christie advance to India Open finals

World number one An Se Young continued her dominant form at the India Open, defeating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon 21-11, 21-7 in Saturdayโ€™s womenโ€™s singles semifinal.

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The South Korean, top seed and defending champion, has now won 11 titles this season, including last weekโ€™s Malaysia Open Super 1000. โ€œEvery match is a new feeling. I feel pressure but I try not to think about my feeling. I just try my best on the day and focus on my game,โ€ An said.

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An will face Chinaโ€™s world number two Wang Zhiyi, who edged compatriot and Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei 21-15, 23-21 in a thrilling semifinal. โ€œI am looking forward to the final but I think tomorrow is Wang Zi, I will try my best,โ€ An added.

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In the menโ€™s singles, third-seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia overcame an early deficit to beat Singaporeโ€™s former world champion Loh Kean Yew 21-18, 22-20 in 46 minutes.

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Christie, who turned independent after the Sudirman Cup last year, described the match as a test of patience. โ€œI’m very happy. Loh is a very good player. In the first set, he already was ahead maybe by 6-7 points. So I just wanted to give my best in this match,โ€ he said.

Also read: India Open: Lakshya Sen bows out after tense quarterfinal

The Indonesian will face either Canadaโ€™s Viktor Lai or Chinese Taipeiโ€™s Lin Chun-Yi in the menโ€™s singles final. Christie has now extended his unbeaten streak over Loh to 9-0.

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In womenโ€™s doubles, Japanโ€™s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto defeated second seeds Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-16, 21-13. Thai third-seeded mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran stunned top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping 16-21, 21-19, 21-16.

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Play was briefly halted during the womenโ€™s doubles semifinal between Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning and Koreaโ€™s Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee after โ€œmaterial from a birdโ€™s nestโ€ fell on the court. Officials inspected and cleaned the surface before the match resumed, with Liu/Tan eventually winning 21-12, 17-21, 21-14.

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The tournament, held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium ahead of the World Championships, has faced criticism over air quality, cold temperatures, hygiene, and stray animals.



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