World No. 5 Carolina Marin reached the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open last week by defeating Tai Tzu-Ying, advanced to the final, but ultimately lost to Chen Yufei to claim the runner-up position. This marks her fourth final defeat this season, during which she had previously won titles at the Orléans Masters and the European Games badminton events.
In the French Open quarterfinals today, Aya Ohori overcame former world champion Marin from Spain with two sets of 21-18, securing a spot in the semifinals. Ohori will face Tai Tzu-Ying tomorrow to compete for a place in the final.
Marin, ranked fifth globally, had victories over Chinese player Gao Fangjie and Indonesian athlete Wadani this week, smoothly progressing to the quarterfinals. However, in today’s match against world No. 19 Ohori, who had no prior head-to-head record with Marin, Ohori demonstrated strong competitiveness. Despite trailing in the first set, she rallied to win five consecutive points and took the set 21-18. In the second set, Ohori started patiently, building a 5-1 lead, but faced challenges as Marin’s frequent delays disrupted the rhythm, leading to a tie. After the break, Ohori intensified her play with sharp smashes and deep shots to the baseline, ultimately sealing the victory 21-18.
Following her advancement to the semifinals, Ohori will once again confront Tai Tzu-Ying. Their last encounter was at the Hangzhou Asian Games this year, where Ohori upset Tai with scores of 21-16 and 21-14, marking her first career win against Tai. Nevertheless, Tai holds an 8-1 advantage in their head-to-head record.
In today’s French Open quarterfinals, Tai Tzu-Ying defeated Thailand’s Gorn Tong with sets of 21-16, 10-21, and 21-17, narrowly advancing to the semifinals and achieving her 500th career women’s singles victory. Tai’s recent European tour has been challenging, with early exits in the quarterfinals of the Arctic Open and Denmark Open in the preceding weeks. This week in France, she started with a straight-sets win over German player Li Yifeng and faced a tough battle against Pai Yu-po yesterday, where she managed to avoid extending the match after falling behind in the second set.
Thailand’s Gorn Tong, ranked 16th globally, advanced to the quarterfinals after opponent Sindhu retired due to injury in the round of 16. Facing the fourth-ranked Tai Tzu-Ying, whom she had lost to in all three previous meetings, Gorn Tong applied pressure early in the match, leading 6-3 at one point. However, Tai utilized her signature deceptive moves to level the score and regain control.
After the break, Tai Tzu Ying seized multiple aggressive scoring opportunities but grew somewhat impatient in the latter phase, leading to increased errors. Fortunately, she quickly regained composure to claim the first game 21-16.
However, Tai made numerous mistakes in the second game, allowing her opponent Ratchanok Intanon to dominate and secure it 10-21.
Entering the decisive game, Tai adjusted her form, reduced errors, and surged to an 8-4 lead, even benefiting from a lucky net-cord point. Following another pause, she struggled with court-side adaptation, resulting in consecutive errors and lost points. Ultimately, she clinched victory by scoring four straight points to close the game 21-17.
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