Naraoka in Malaysia Masters 2025 semis; Intanon reaches last 4
Expect Kodai Naraoka in the Malaysia Masters 2025 semifinals after he beat Weng Hongyang, while Ratchanok Intanon also reached the last four.
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NARAOKA IN MALAYSIA MASTERS 2025, AVERTS ALL-CHINESE SEMIS AFTER BEATING WENG
Expect Naraoka in the semifinals after he defeated Weng, 21-12, 21-19, at the Axiata Arena in at Bukit Jalil on Friday.
Furthermore, the 23-year-old Japanese world No.8 had a solid game at the opening set before he held off Weng from forcing a decider to win it.
Moreover, Naraoka will next face another Chinese shuttler in No.4 Li Shifeng for a place in the final,
“Hongyang is not easy to play against, so I’m happy that I managed to beat him,” Naraoka said.
“Shifeng is also a tough opponent, so I need to prepare well to make the final,” he added.
INDIAN SHUTTLERS FALTER AS PRANNOY, KARUNAKARAN LOSE
Indian shuttlers faltered on Thursday as HS Prannoy and Sathish Karunakaran lost their respective matches.
Moreover, Prannoy absorbed a 21-9, 21-18 loss to Japanese Yushi Tanaka in a match that lasted 39 minutes.
Furthermore, Karunakaran also fell short, this time to Frenchman Christo Popov, 21-14, 21-16.
This leaves only Kidambi Srikanth as India’s lone representative in men’s singles.
Srikanth defeated Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen, 23-21, 21-17, on Wednesday, to bag a quarterfinals spot.
RATCHANOK REACHES SEMIS, OUTLASTS LI IN 77 MINUTES
Ratchanok reached the semifinals after she outlasted Michelle Li, 24-26 24-22 21-12.
Furthermore, the 30-year-old Thai world No.13 continued her quest for a fifth World Tour title after her 77-minute conquest of her 33-year-old Canadian opponent.
Moreover, Ratchanok edged Li in the secod set to force a decider before she convincingly put her away in the last set.
“She (Li) has a strong mentality with good hands and footwork, especially after undergoing knee surgery. She still keeps great fitness even though she is already 33,” the Thai shuttler said.
““I really enjoy playing in Malaysia. It feels like my second home because I have so many Malaysian and international fans here supporting me,” she added.
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