Each division in a BWF World Tour tournament is seeded, with the expected best teams placed in favorable draws based on their ranking and recent results.
That didn’t work so well at the Yonex U.S. Open, played at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym.
Three of the winners came from the qualifying rounds, taking the long route to getting to the championship match and then winning it:
● Chinese Taipei’s Chun-Yi Lin not only moved through the qualifiers, but defeated defending champion Dong-Keun Lee of Korea in the quarterfinals. Lin skipped past Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (THA) in the final, 21-10, 21-13.
● China’s Zhi-Yi Wang had to go through the qualifiers and then beat no. 2 seed Saena Kawakami (JPN) and no. 6 Ayumi Mine (JPN) on the way to the final. Once there, she took care of Ga-Eun Kim (KOR) in two sets, 21-18, 21-19.
● Jhe-Huei Lee and Ya Ching Hsu (TPE), ranked 140th in the world coming in, took the Mixed Doubles, coming out on top of France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue in straight sets, 21-17, 21-17.
There was one no. 1 seed that won: Japan’s women’s Doubles team of Nami Matsuyama and Chicharu Shida, who defeated Koreans Ha Na Baek and Kyung Eun Jung, 21-16, 21-16. Summaries:
BWF World Tour/Yonex U.S. Open
Fullerton, California (USA) ~ 8-14 July 2019
(Full results here)
Men/Singles: 1. Chun-Yi Lin (TPE); 2. Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (THA); 3. Sourabh Verma (IND) and Yu Hsien Lin (TPE). Semis: Saensomboonsuk d. Verma, 21-9, 21-18; Lin d. Lin, 15-21, 21-19, 21-17. Final: Lin d. Saensomboonsuk, 21-10, 21-13.
Men/Doubles: 1. Sung-Hyun Ko/Baek-Cheol Shin (KOR); 2. Yang Lee/Chi-Lin Wang (TPE); 3. Yong Dae Lee/Yeon Seong Yoo (KOR) and Hiroki Okamura/Masayuki Onodera (JPN). Semis: Ko/Shin d. Okamura/Onodera, 19-21, 22-20, 21-16; Lee/Wang d. Lee/Yoo, 16-21, 21-16, 28-26. Final: Ko/Shin d. 21-13, 17-21, 6-3 (retired).
Women/Singles: 1. Zhi Yi Wang (CHN); 2. Ga Eun Kim (KOR); 3. Michelle Li (CAN) and Ayumi Mine (JPN). Semis: Wang d. Mine, 21-14, 21-11; Kim d. Li, 21-16, 21-8. Final: Wang d. Kim, 21-18, 21-19.
Women/Doubles: 1. Nami Matsuyama/Chicharu Shida (JPN); 2. Ha Na Baek/Kyung Eun Jung (KOR); 3. Xiao Fei Chen/Shu Xian Zhang (CHN) and Chi Ya Cheng/Chih Chen Lee (TPE). Semis: Baek/Jung d. Cheng/Lee, 24-22, 21-13. Matsuyama/Shida d. Chen/Zhang, 19-21, 21-15, 21-14. Final: Matsuyama/Shida d. Baek/Jung, 21-16, 21-16.
Mixed Doubles: 1. Jhe-Huei Lee/Ya Ching Hsu (TPE); 2. Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (FRA); 3. Ben Lane/Jessica Pugh (ENG) and Po-Hsuan Yang/Ling Fang Hu (TPE). Semis: Lee/Tsu d. Lane/Pugh, 12-21, 24-22, 21-15; Gicquel/Delrue d. Yang/Hu, 21-17, 21-14. Final: Lee/Hsu d. Gicquel/Delrue, 21-17, 21-17.
