ODENSE, Denmark: Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon defeated world No.1 Tau Tzu Ying of Taiwan in a gruelling three-set thriller (21-14 20-22 21-14) on Saturday to reach the final of the US$750,000 Denmark Open badminton tournament.
Ratchanok will face fourth-seeded Agane Yamaguchi of Japan in the final on Sunday, expected to begin around 7.30pm Thailand time.
The world No.9, who is unseeded this week, battled her Taiwanese rival for 64 minutes on Saturday. The pair now have an 8-8 lifetime record in head-to-head play.
The 22-year-old former world champion has been making a steady return to form and has won two titles so far this season — the Thailand Open in June and the New Zealand Open in August — both Grand Prix Gold tournaments.