(by Steve Hopkins)
Fans in Las Vegas were treated to two epic Semifinal matches on Saturday at the United States Smash. The first matchup was Felix Lebrun and Wang Chuqin and neither player won two games in a row through all seven. Chuqin won the first game 11-9, Felix countered with an 11-5 win to even the score. Chuqin won the third 11-6 and Felix countered with an 11-7 win of his own. Then Chuqin 12-10 and Felix 11-9. The two were then tied 4-4 in the seventh game when Chuqin scored 3 in a row to take a 7-4 lead. This spread continued to 10-6. And then, Felix Lebrun played three perfect points to bring this back to one final match point. Chuqin served up 10-9 across the middle, Felix Lebrun had opportunity to open with a forehand loop, the ball tipped the net and the spin carried long. Chuqin wins an epic Semifinal 4-3.
Then it was World No. 1 Lin Shidong against World No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto. Harimoto came out on fire – building an early lead in the first two games – and in both he maintained the lead for the win. The momentum shifted. The games had been close with Harimoto pulling away late, and now the script was reversed. For three games in a row it was Lin Shidong pulling away and finishing off Harimoto late. Shidong outlasted Harimoto for a 12-10 win, then an 11-9 win, and then a dominant 11-7 win. But Harimoto wasn’t finished. In fact, in the final two games, Harimoto scored twice as many points as the world’s No. 1. Harimoto mixed soft control and some safe rolls with precise attacks. 11-5 and 11-6 in the final two games. The final is now set for Sunday. The showdown in Las Vegas will be Wang Chuqin and Tomokazu Harimoto.
The Women’s Singles Final is also set, and it will feature a pair of surprises as Chen Yi (World No. 17) will face Zhu Yuling (World No. 14) in a tournament that featured 12 players ranked higher than either Finalist. Chen Yi’s path included a first round win over Sofia Polcanova and an upset of World No. 1 Sun Yingsha just to reach the Quarters. She then topped Hina Hayata 4-3 and Kuai Man 4-3 to reach the Final. And in the other half of the draw it is former Chinese team member now playing for <acap wjp took out Sabine Winter before upsetting World No. 2 Wang Manyu. And then she beat Shin Yubin in the Quarters and Mima Ito in the Semifinals. The two players each have logged 3 or 4 upsets and now they’ll be splitting the unexpected prize (of both money and World Ranking Points).
The finals are set for Sunday evening.
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