There were no surprises on quarterfinals day at the Uber Cup, with the semifinalists of the last edition making the last four this time too.
China, in the hunt for their 17th title, once again face Japan in the semifinals, while 2022 champions Korea take on two-time winners Indonesia.
All four quarterfinals were straightforward affairs, with none going into a fifth match. China were expectedly dominant in a 3-0 result over Malaysia, who did put up some resistance. Letshanaa Karupathevan gave a good account of herself in the opening women’s singles against Wang Zhi Yi, following which Ong Xin Yee/Carmen Ting briefly revived Malaysia’s hopes by taking a game off Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning.
World No.2 Wang gave credit to her opponent, who she had played in the Uber Cup five years ago.
“We played each other a long time ago, and we’ve both changed a lot,” said Wang. “I’m happy I got a good start for my team. She played very well today and I had to stay calm and be ready for the next point.”
Despite the loss, Karupathevan said her performance had given her renewed hope for the future.
“It was a good match and it wasn’t easy against the world No.2,” said the Malaysian. “I’m happy I pushed her to her limits. Belief was important and I believed if I could play push her, I could fight till the end. It was very challenging physically; each point was a long rally. It’s a good stepping stone for me, if I play at this level. These high level players won’t have weak points; you just need to be consistent on each point.”
Japan dropped a match to Thailand with Pornpawee Chochuwong edging Tomoka Miyazaki in an 84-minute battle but otherwise Japan had the tie mostly under control. Arisa Igarashi/Kie Nakanishi ensured the victory in the second doubles.
“We were partners earlier but had to stop for a while,” said Nakanishi. “We didn’t play together on the international stage and we were missing each other. There was anxiety whether we could do it again but we did manage to play well together again.”
Other Highlights
» Korea likewise lost a point in the second singles, with Kim Ga Eun falling to Lin Hsiang Ti, but Jeong Na Eun/Kim Hye Jeong saw them through, winning the second doubles over Hsu Ya Ching/Hsu Yin-Hui 21-17 21-13.
» Denmark’s campaign ended with a 3-1 loss to Indonesia, with the hosts’ lone point coming from Line Kjaersfeldt, who beat Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi in straight games. Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo wrapped up the tie beating Amalie Schulz in straight games.
→ Results
