Tai, Intanon in Title Bout – Day 5: Perodua Malaysia Masters 2018
Tai Tzu Ying and Ratchanok Intanon set up a final at the Perodua Malaysia Masters with gritty displays in the Women’s Singles semi-finals today.
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Tai staged an escape act from four match points down against Spain’s Carolina Marin, while Intanon held off the indefatigable world No.2 Akane Yamaguchi (Japan); both were marathon matches that went past 70 minutes.
Tai (featured image), renowned for her skilful strokeplay, showed the stubborn side to her character in fighting back from the dead against Marin in a dramatic first semi-final.
Marin dominated throughout the third game, and with leads of 16-8 and 20-16, the Spaniard had all but ensured her place in the final. Uncharacteristically, however, at the very end the Spaniard betrayed nerves – a rushed service return, a misjudgement and a long lob helping Tai draw level, followed by a couple of timid shots that handed the match to the world No.1 at 12-21 21-15 23-21 – her fifth straight win over the Olympic champion.