Australia’s Nozomi Shimizu will play for two titles at the MAXX North Harbour International after reaching the women’s doubles and mixed doubles finals at Badminton North Harbour.
Shimizu first teamed up with Laudya Chelsea Griselda to beat Chinese Taipei pair Hsuan Ni Chen and Chia-Yi Kung 21-11, 21-15 in the women’s doubles semi-finals. She then returned to court alongside Andika Ramadiansyah and secured a 21-16, 21-19 mixed doubles victory over Lu Chen and Yun Jung Chang, also of Chinese Taipei.
The two wins put Shimizu in a distinctive position on finals day: she will compete in both doubles title matches. The results also give Australia representation in two of the five finals at the tournament.
Shimizu and Griselda progress in straight games
Shimizu and Griselda opened the semi-final programme and controlled their match against Chen and Kung, winning by 10 points in the first game before completing a five-point second-game margin.
Griselda said after the match that patience and confidence in her partner had been important. Shimizu indicated that she had made some straightforward mistakes and had felt tired, but credited Griselda’s patience and said that trust within the partnership had helped them through.
They will meet second seeds Hsieh Mi Yen and Yu Chien Hui of Chinese Taipei in the final. Hsieh and Yu advanced after overturning a tight contest against Australia’s Angela Yu and Gronya Somerville, winning 20-22, 22-20, 21-8.
Somerville and Yu had been in control for periods of that semi-final, according to Badminton Oceania, but could not finish the match after taking the opening game and forcing the second into extra points. Their defeat means Shimizu and Griselda are the remaining Australian-linked pairing in the women’s doubles final.
Mixed doubles win follows late pressure
Ramadiansyah and Shimizu’s second semi-final was closer. They beat Lu and Chang 21-16, 21-19, with the report describing relief from the pair after the final shuttle landed.
Ramadiansyah said he had felt confident when his partnership led 19-15 and 19-16, but that nerves grew as the score tightened. He said he had sought to manage that moment by concentrating on each point and each shot. Shimizu said her energy level had dipped after also playing women’s doubles, although she expressed relief for her partner after they completed the victory.
They will now face Lin Bing-Wei and Liao Jui-Chi of Chinese Taipei for the mixed doubles title. Lin and Liao eliminated another Australian combination, Michael Owen and Somerville, 21-18, 17-21, 21-17.
Owen and Somerville had taken the second game to level their semi-final, but Lin and Liao recovered to claim the deciding game and a place in the final. The result ended Somerville’s second semi-final run of the day, while Shimizu extended hers into a second championship match.
Finals day takes shape
The tournament’s singles finals will both feature players from Chinese Taipei. Top seed and defending champion Po-Wei Wang moved into the men’s singles final, where he will play Japan’s Rei Miyashita. Miyashita reached the match after defeating second seed Liao Jhuo-Fu 21-6, 22-20.
Defending women’s singles champion Tung Ciou-Tong also advanced and will face Chen Su Yu in an all-Chinese Taipei final. The men’s doubles title match will likewise be an all-Chinese Taipei affair, with Shao Hua Chiu and Lin Bing-Wei meeting top seeds Huang Tsung-I and Lin Ting-Yu.
The finals begin at 11am at Badminton North Harbour.
For Shimizu, the schedule presents a demanding double assignment rather than a single-shot opportunity. Her women’s doubles final comes with Griselda against the second seeds, while her mixed doubles partnership with Ramadiansyah meets the pair that stopped Owen and Somerville.