Bangkok: Viktor Axelsen who had won the BWF Super Series Finals and World Tour Finals for three-times (2016, 2017, 2021), was made to work hard before beating Japan’s rising star Kodai Naraoka 21-23, 21-19, 21-18 in 83 minutes to enter the final.
Viktor Axelsen will face Anthony Sinisuka Ginting on Sunday. Ginting overcame compatriot Jonatan Christie 21-15, 11-21, and 21-18 to advance to the final.
Highlights of Viktor Axelsen vs. Kodai Naraoka in the semi-finals of 2022 BWF World Tour Finals:
Indonesia also has another representative in the final when Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan qualified for the men’s doubles final.
Ahsan/Setiawan defeated Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia 17-21, 21-13, 21-19. Unfortunately, the men’s doubles No. 1 seeds Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto failed to move into the final when they lost to Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi 20-22, 21-11, 19-21.
Highlights of Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan vs. Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi in the semi-finals of 2022 BWF World Tour Finals:
The “Daddies” who won the tournament in 2013, 2015 (when the tournament was called Super Series Finals), and also in 2019, will try to win their fourth title at the year-end event on Sunday.
The women’s singles competition saw both Tai Tzu Ying and Akane Yamaguchi reverse their fortune by defeating opponents whom they’ve lost during the group stage in the semi-final.
Tai who lost to He Bing Jiao in her first Group B match on Wednesday, outlasted He 21-18, 21-14 to cruise into the final. Akane Yamaguchi also exacted sweet revenge for her loss to Chen Yu Fei in the second Group A match on Thursday, as she didn’t give Chen any breathing room to see off the Tokyo Olympics champion 21-19, 21-10 in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, it will be a China versus Thailand affair in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles finals.
The women’s doubles No. 1 seeds Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan will meet host shuttlers Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard in the final while Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong will face off against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the mixed doubles final.
