Kunlavut set for semi showdown against India’s George

Kunlavut Vitidsarn moved into the semi-finals of the US$420,000 BWF Korea Masters in Iksan City on Friday.
The Thai top seed, who is chasing his first title of the year, defeated Liu Liang of China 21-15, 21-11 to reach the last four of the World Tour Super 300 event.
Kunlavut, world champion and Olympic silver medallist, will face Kiran George of India in the semi-finals on Saturday.
George defeated fifth seed Takuma Obayashi of Japan 21-14, 21-16.
Kunlavut had runner-up finishes at the French Open and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this year, and his last title came at the World Championships in August 2023. China’s Wang Zhengxing and South Korea’s Cho Geon-Yeop will face off in the other semi-final.
Kunlavut is the only Thai player left in the tournament after mixed doubles pair Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat bowed out.
The fifth-seeded pair lost to second seeds Dejan Ferdinansyah and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja 18-21, 12-21 in yesterday’s quarter-finals.
Women’s top seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan moved safely through to the semis after she beat seventh seed Lin Hsiang-ti of Taiwan 21-18, 21-10.
Miyazaki will play China’s Han Qianxi in the last four on Saturday.
Second seed Putri Kusuma Wardini of Indonesia will play fifth seed Chiu Pin-chien of Taiwan in the other semi clash.
In other results, mixed doubles top seeds Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi defeated Lee Jong-Min and Lee Yu-Lim of South Korea 21-17, 21-10 while Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui of China edged Chen Cheng-kuan and Hsu Yin-hui of Taiwan 21-14, 20-22, 21-9.