Fourth-seeded Wang Yihan unexpectedly beat the world’s top ranking Carolina Marin in a 16-21, 21-11, 21-17 semifinal match at the BCA Indonesia Open badminton tournament on Saturday.

Yihan’s perseverance astonished the crowd, who mostly supported Marin.

However, showing no mercy, Yihan finally crushed the left-handed Spaniard in three games, with Marin trying hard but ultimately failing to equalize the score in the second and third game.

Yihan applauded her opponent humbly, saying Marin was young, tough and had a lot of stamina.

“My key to winning the game was my spirit. In the third game, my triumph was supported by luck, because the shuttlecock rolled over the net frequently,” Yihan said after the match.

Yihan revealed that in the game she struggled with draft in the Gelora Bung Karno stadium. The court was quite windy, which affected her performance in second game, she said.

Meanwhile, Marin expressed disappointment over her defeat.

“I started really well in the first game, but in second and third game, I was so nervous; therefore I could not give my best,” Marin said, adding that Yihan had played better than her.

However, the Spanish flag-bearer at the Olympic Games said she was overall satisfied with her performance throughout the tournament, especially thanks to her local fans.

“The Indonesian people are amazing. This is like my second home. I really love my Indonesian fans,” Marin said. (bbn)

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