Chen, Zheng/Huang Survive Close Call – WT Finals: Day 3
China heaved a sigh of relief as Chen Long and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong clinched last-gasp semifinals places at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2019 today.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Facing a must-win situation, Chen Long defeated Chou Tien Chen in his final group match to secure his last-four place from men’s singles Group B.
Chen, who went down in straight games to Anthony Ginting yesterday, expertly handled Chou’s wares to deny him in a close second game finish, 21-15 21-19. Chou, who admitted he had yet to solve Chen’s challenge in nine matches, would have hoped for Viktor Axelsen to beat Anthony Ginting in the last Group B match, but that possibility was nullified when Axelsen retired 13-6 down against Ginting, citing a strained right hamstring muscle and pain in his right groin.
That meant General Competition Regulation 16.2.5 came into play: “If illness, injury, disqualification or other unavoidable hindrance prevents a player/pair completing all the group matches, all the results of that player/pair shall be deleted. Retiring during a match shall be considered to be not completing all group matches.”