OLOMOUC, Czech Republic, Aug. 23 -- The Chinese pair Gu Yuting/Mu Zi is now one step away from the top podium after defeating Chen Szu-Yu/Cheng Hsein-Tzu from Chinese Taipei 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 here on Friday in the women's doubles semifinal of ITTF World Tour Czech Open.
After ejecting top seed Miyuu Kihara/Miyu Nagasaki from Japan on Thursday, the Chinese duo knocked down Yu Mengyu/Lin Ye from Singapore in the quarterfinal, and then the Chinese Taipei pair in the semi to advance to the final.
As the last tournament champion of Bulgaria Open, Gu/Mu are now embracing the idea that they could take the whole thing. Their final opponent on Saturday is the third-seeded Hirano Miu/Shibata Saki from Japan.
"We're feeling more comfortable today. Our team chemistry is getting better and better and our partnership is improving. Today it was a clean win for us. We will prepare for the final tomorrow and we will try our best," said Gu.
It was a major shock for all fans in the crowd as Hirano Miu/Shibata Saki were pushed to the limit in a five-game crunch match-up with Poland's Natalia Bajor/Natalia Partyka.
The Polish duo showed immense resistance against the Japanese, matching them shot for shot in each game. During the decider, the Polish were up by 9-6 before Hirano/Shibata grounded out a very important win 9-11, 11-2, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9.
In the women's singles, Feng Yalan, He Zhuojia, Chen Xingtong and Liu Weishan outplayed their opponents to step forward to the quarters.
The Chinese pair Ma Te/Wu Yang, the conqueror of top seed Lee Sangsu/Jeon Jihee from South Korea on Thursday, lost out to another South Korean duo Cho Daeseong/Shin Yubin in a close encounter 4-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7 in the mixed doubles.
The battle for the final spot in the men's singles quarterfinal raised some eyebrows. Alexander Shibaev from Russia took the win over China's Ma Te 11-5, 15-13, 12-10, 11-9. Ma kept it close, but Shibaev was always a step ahead.
The legendary German player Timo Boll returned to World Tour action with an emphatic win over Japanese Yukiya Uda in 11-7, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7. The 38-year-old German was very efficient with his service. The four-game match spanned just under 30 minutes.