ASIAN GAMES Women’s SF – Korea and China in final

The Korean women team grabbed their ticket to the Asian Games team event final in a much anticipated final against arch favourite China. With an expected packed stadium, they will now hope to win a title they have last won twenty years ago.

By Tarek Hafi, Badzine Correspondent live in Incheon.  Photos: Don Hearn (live)

A silver medal at least secured for the home team, as they rushed to the final after the nineteen-year-old Kim Hyo Min offered the ultimate point to her fellow teammates against a dominated P. C. Thulasi.

However it didn’t start out as planned, as Indian superstar Saina Nehwal (photo) clinched the first point after outmanoeuvring Korea’s number one player Sung Ji Hyun in three games.

“When I first came on court I had this loss at the Denmark Superseries last year, where I lost in three games against her, in my mind. When I entered the court, it was more about how my game is, how well I can play,” commented an all-smiling Saina after her match.

A second singles match announced with world number six Bae Yeon Ju (photo) willing to avenge her recent close loss at the World Championships against P. V. Sindhu. And it was indeed a fierce competition between the two great retrievers, with a different outcome as Bae Yeon Ju made full use of her home support constantly screaming her name and it eventually lead her to another tough three-game battle.

“It wasn’t easy coming on court today, I constantly had flashbacks of my defeat at the World Championships but I wanted to give it all I had despite my nervousness,” admitted Bae Yeon Ju after giving a first point to Korea.

Given the strength of their three great women’s doubles pairings, it was obvious Korea would count on them and wouldn’t let slip this chance of earning easy points and that is what Jang Ye Na and Kim So Young achieved against India’s Gadre and Reddy, who found difficulties breaking the solid Korean wall, tumbling after two straight games.

It was now the turn of Kim Hyo Min, the youngest and least experienced of the team, to shine under the spotlight for a very first time after she literally swept away India’s Thulasi. The Korean teen didn’t let the stress take over and provided a very aggressive game, looking far out of reach for her opponent of the day.

A few seconds only after their superb win, the girls all invaded the court to greet their crowd, before going on another Chinese mission in tomorrow’s final, as Li Yongbo’s armada took good care of Japan’s in a similar three to one win, even if Zhao Yunlei and Tian Qing failed to beat Japan’s ever-improving Misaki Matsumoto and Ayaka Takahashi (photo).

All results here