Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon produced another clinical performance in the Superseries Singapore Open semi-finals yesterday to put herself on the verge of completing a hat-trick of titles and claiming the No.1 spot in the world rankings.
Having won the India and Malaysia Open title, the in-form world No.2 moved into her third straight title showdown in as many weeks by beating Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-12, 22-20 in 49 minutes.
In a post on her Facebook account, Ratchanok exclaimed: "Hello final ... Make it happen."
She also headlined a photograph of herself: "Now I feel I can be No.1."
On Friday, top-ranked players Chen Long of China and Carolina Marin of Spain crashed out in the quarter-finals, unceremoniously shown the door by young upstarts.
The 18-year-old Yamaguchi was the one who showed Marin the exit, but the marathon that led to a 2-1 victory left her physically drained for the semi-final battle against Ratchanok.
The first set was evenly contested until Ratchanok broke a 9-9 deadlock with a seven-point spree that eventually gave her the opener.
Yamaguchi, ranked No.11 in the world, wasn't willing to bow out without putting up a fight and Ratchanok kept her cool to claim the last two points for a spine-chilling 22-20 win in the second set.
With Marin eliminated, a win in the final against Chinese defending champion Sun Yu today will assure Ratchanok of a place at the top of the world ranking ladder for the first time in her career.
Sun, the world No.14 who yesterday beat unseeded compatriot He Bingjiao 21-10, 21-16, has lost to Ratchanok four times in their past five meetings.
In a major upset yesterday, two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan became the latest casualty at the Singapore Open when he suffered a stunning semi-final defeat at the hands of Indonesian qualifier Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
The 32-year-old Lin, who has never won the tournament, conceded the match against 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Kuncoro 21-10, 21-17, 22-20.
Speaking to media after the game, Lin said: "I lost the first set too quickly and took too long to find my rhythm. I didn't play as well as I could have."
Kuncoro, ranked 56th in the world, said: "It was such an awesome game and I'm very happy."
Kuncoro will face Korea's Son Wan-Ho in the finals after Son beat giant-killer Ng.