MALAYSIA OPEN 2015 QF – Mixed fortunes for new World #1s

Denmark’s Fischer Nielsen/Pedersen were the second world #1s to exit the Maybank Malaysia Open, still winless against China’s Liu/Bao.

By Mior Muzaffar Mior Dahalan, Badzine Correspondent live in Kuala Lumpur.  Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto (live)

Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen (pictured) from Denmark, who were recently promoted to the no. 1 spot in the world mixed doubles rankings, lost their quarter-final match to the Chinese pair Liu Cheng and Bao Yixin (pictured below).  The Danish pair just could not get rhythm in their play and lost easily 18-21, 13-21.  This is their fourth consecutive loss to the Chinese pair, the same duo that beat them in the Yonex Sunrise Indian Open final last week.

“We played poorly and paid the price, ” explained Joachim Fischer Nielsen after the match.  “The Chinese pair was too strong and played well and they deserved to win.  We had no energy and are really disappointed with the outcome of this match.

“We will take a break after this and we are not going to play in the Singapore Open Superseries next week.  Playing two tournaments back to back in Asia really took its toll on us.”

“Although we are the world #1, we certainly didn’t play like the #1 mixed doubles pair in the world.  We have to play better, to be honest.

“We’re looking forward to playing in the World Championships in Jakarta later this year, but we need to up our performance to justify our status as the # 1 pair in the world, that’s for sure.”

Yu can’t beat Saina today

The newly crowned world #1 in women’s singles, Saina Nehwal (pictured below), started strongly in her quarter-final match-up with the rising star of the Chinese women’s singles, Sun Yu. While Saina won her first game comfortably, but her game turned horribly wrong in the second, which she lost 18-21.

In the decider, Saina looked to be in all sorts of trouble when she was trailing 16-17, but backed by the boisterous support from the crowd, Saina claimed all 5 points after that to clinch her third straight win against Sun Yu and book her place in the semi-final tomorrow.

“I should have finished the match in two games, especially when the score was 14-14 in the second set but I just couldn’t finish the match,” said Saina after the match.

“Playing against Chinese players you have to keep fighting and to give your best.  And tomorrow I will be playing against Li Xuerui and I’m facing Chinese players non-stop, but I just have to keep fighting.”

On the subject of strong competition in the women’s singles with the emergence of high calibre players such as Carolina Marin, Sun Yu and Ratchanok Intanon, Saina said, “Women’s singles is getting better and more entertaining nowadays, although in terms of difficulty, it was the same when I was younger playing against the likes of Xie Xingfang and Wong Mew Choo.  I just have to play my best.”

The women’s singles semi-finals will have the strongest Chinese presence of the three Superseries events this year, with Li Xuerui and Wang Shixian looking to set up an all-Chinese final.  Those two shuttlers met in the final of last year’s French Open and there has not been a women’s singles finalist from China in the five Superseries events since then.

Wang Shixian won a one hour and 51-minute marathon against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara (pictured) to earn her place in the final four.  Wang is among the few top ten players who has never lost to her semi-final opponent, All England and World Champion Carolina Marin.

Click here for complete quarter-final results