Thailand Open 2023: Carolina Marin breezes through to semi-finals
The Rio 2016 Olympic champion claimed her third consecutive victory in straight sets and will face world number two Se Young An of the Republic of Korea for a spot in the final in Bangkok.
Spain’s badminton superstar Carolina Marin is just two steps away from taking her second title this year, as she defeated Canada’s Michelle Li 21-19, 21-12 in the Thailand Open quarterfinals on Friday (2 June).
The three-time world champion raced to a 10-3 lead in the first game, but her Canadian opponent fought back and narrowed the gap to 11-9 at the break. Despite trailing 17-18, Marin remained composed and won the first game 21-19.
In the second set, the European champion seized the initiative and built a seven-point lead at the break. Then the Andalusian continued to dominate and won the second game 21-12, advancing to the semi-finals.
Marin's opponent will be world number two Se Young An, who beat Yue Han of the People’s Republic of China with a score of 21-16, 21-18.
Marin and An have faced each other eight times before, with both players winning four matches each. However, An emerged victorious in the last three encounters.
In the men’s singles, Malaysian Ng Tze Yong crashed out in the quarter-final, losing to world number 17 Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong, China, 19-21, 21-23.
Lee will face the France's Toma Junior Popov, who defeated India’s Kiran George in straight-sets 21-16, 21-17.
Thailand Open concludes on Sunday (4 June).
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