Second Time Around – Semi-Finals: YONEX All England Open 2018
It’s beginning to look a lot like last year’s All England finals as two winners and two runners-up from a year ago advanced to tomorrow’s showpiece in Birmingham earlier today.
· GAYLE ALLEYNE
Results of the morning’s semi-finals of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2018 saw Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo earn a crack at defending their Men’s Doubles crown while Tai Tzu Ying came through a testing bout to leave her one win away from retaining the Women’s Singles title.
There was also happy hunting for Denmark’s Women Doubles titans, Kamilla Rytter Juhl/Christinna Pedersen (featured image), and Men’s Singles player, Shi Yuqi; both securing another opportunity to amend for their runners-up conclusions at the 2017 All England tournament.
The Danes – who lost to Chang Ye Na/Lee So Hee of Korea last March – again triumphed over another new combination in the Asian production line of Women’s Doubles partnership. On this occasion, it was the turn of young guns Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara to try to break down the steely European champions and though the Japanese saved two match points, they yielded to the third as Juhl produced some big shots in the dying exchanges.