Day Four Preview: Opportunities arise in surprise last eight line-up
Reigning champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana take on top seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in a blockbuster men’s doubles quarter-final encounter at the YONEX All England Open.
The all-Indonesian clash will be one of the standout clashes of the last eight, with this set to be the sixth meeting between the two.
Alfian and Ardianto are arguably the favourites having won the past four encounters, including a straight-games win at the YONEX India Open earlier this season.
Fellow Indonesians Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin will face Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the last eight, while fifth seeds Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi take on third seeds and former champions Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan.
Fourth seeds Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi are up against He Ji Ting and Zhou Hao Dong.
Elsewhere defending women’s singles champion Akane Yamaguchi continues her campaign for a second All England title.
The Japanese has looked in supreme form so far, and will aim for another semi-final in Birmingham when she takes on sixth seed Wang Zhi Yi.
One of the most intriguing encounters across the draws pits seventh seed champion Carolina Marin against second seed An Se-Young.
Former champion Marin has impressed at her first All England since 2020, though 2022 runner-up Se-Young has been in devastating form so far and will be tough to beat.
Unseeded Gregoria Mariska Tunjung will look to pull off a shock against fourth seed Chen Yufei, while three-time champion Tai Tzu-Ying faces fifth seed He Bingjiao
Fresh off his stunning upset over Viktor Axelsen, Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong will look to back up that result when he takes on China’s Li Shifeng in an all-unseeded men’s singles quarter-final.
The only seed left in the top half of the draw in Axelsen’s absence is Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, the third seed taking on former world No.2 Anders Antonsen in one of the most high-profile matches on Friday.
Weng Hong Yang faces Shi Yu Qi in another all-unseeded clash, while seventh seed Kodai Naraoka plays fourth seed Lee Zii Jia.
Mixed doubles top seeds Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong are the only seeded team left on the top half of the bracket, and their quest for the title continues with a clash versus Japan’s Yuki Kaneko and Misaki Matsutomo.
The winner of that will face Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawait or Kyohei Yamashita and Naru Shinoya, following their last eight encounter.
Kim Won Ho and Jeong Na Eun take on Dutch pairing Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek in a surprise last eight encounter, while Seo Seung Jae and Chae Yu Jung face third seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
2021 YONEX All England champions Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto continue their quest for a first title since then in women’s doubles action.
The Japanese, a former world No.1 pairing, take on Chinese third seeds Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu in an enticing encounter.
The only seeds left on the bottom half of the draw, Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti come up against Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela take on Li Wen Mei and Liu Xuan Xuan.
Top seeds Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan are up against sixth seeds Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong.
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Image courtesy of BadmintonPhoto
