National rivalries take on bigger meaning on Day 5 of YONEX All England
National rivalries are the order of Day 5 of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2025.
China takes on China in three matches across the day beginning with the opening match, the mixed doubles semi-final.
Later in the day, two Indonesian men’s doubles pairs square off, looking to follow in the long line of success for their nation in that discipline.
Saturday starts with Jiang Zhen Bang and Huang Dong Ping taking on Xin Wa Guo and Fang Hui Chen in an all-Chinese affair.
Both pairs will look to add their names to the list of winners and follow in their compatriots Huang Yaqiong and Zheng Siwei, who won the mixed doubles title in 2023 and 2024.
Whatever happens, a new mixed doubles winner will be crowned with Feng Yan Zhe and Wei Ya Xin of China and Korea’s Jong Min Lee and Yu Jung Chae completing the semi-final line-up.
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The duos meet for the first time, with Feng and Wei a new partnership, and there is the potential for the Chinese pair to meet their former partners Huang and Jiang in the showpiece should both progress on Saturday.
The battle between Chinese players continues in the men’s singles with top seed Shi Yu Qi taking on Li Shi Feng with both of them former winners in Birmingham.
They are third up on the day with Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida’s tie with Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the women’s doubles following.
China’s Liu and Tan lead the head-to-head 6-3, having won the previous five meetings between the two pairs including in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games last year.
The morning session is rounded out with two unseeded players meeting as Alex Lanier plays in his first All England semi-final at the age of just 20.
He takes on Chia Hao Lee of Chinese Taipei with both of them the final representatives from their country.
The evening session kicks off at 5pm GMT with Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto taking on former champion Jia Yi Fan and her partner Zhang Shu Xian.
A mouthwatering clash follows as An Se Young takes on Akane Yamaguchi in a rematch of the 2024 semi-final, which Yamaguchi won.
Since then, An has been nearly unbeatable, with her lossless run in 2025 facing its tough test yet on the biggest of stages.
Following that blockbuster is a game of national pride with huge consequeces as Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana take on their Indonesian compatriots Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
The penultimate match of the day sees the final all-China battle as second seed Wang Zhi Yi Wang faces Han Yue as both aim to make the first All England final of their career.
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The semi-finals conclude with Kim Won Ho and Seung Jae Seo of Korea taking on China’s Ji Ting He and Xiang Yu Ren of China.
The pairs have met just once before with Kim and Seo triumphing in straight games at the YONEX-Sunrise India Open earlier this year.
Kim and Seo will hope for a repeat as they aim to become the first Korean winners of the men’s doubles title since Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae in 2012.
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Photo courtesy of Badmintonphoto
