Match: Tommy Sugiarto v Anthony Ginting, Men's singles semi-final
Date: 11 February, Saturday
Time: 12:15pm SGT/9:45am IST/4:15am GMT
Venue: Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok
TV Channel: In Singapore, Hub Sports 1 will provide live TV coverage.
Live streaming: The match can be watched online at BWF Youtube channel, Hotstar.
Live scores can be found on tournament's official website.
Overview
Both world number 20 Tommy Sugiarto and his semi-final opponent Anthony Ginting have reached their second semi-final appearance of the ongoing season as the two Indonesian shuttlers shone at Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold as well.
While 20-year-old Ginting lost to eventual champion Ng Ka Long in his semi-final clash, Sugiarto fell to Lee Hyun II in straight games. However, both the shuttlers have carried their form into Thailand and have stitched a consistent run early in the season now.
10th seed Ginting took only 39 minutes to outclass 13th seed Chinese shuttler Zhao Jinping 21-16, 21-16 in his quarter-final clash on Friday. His biggest win of the ongoing tournament came when he prevailed in a hard-fought battle against second-seeded Chinese shuttler Huang Yuxiang. The Indonesian youngster lost the first game 19-21 but came back to win the match 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 in 62 minutes.
Ginting also had defeated higher-ranked shuttlers in Malaysia but encountered an in-form Ng, who was fresh from his Hong Kong Open success, in the semi-final. However, on Saturday, the world number 36 has a good chance to outclass his compatriot and give himself a chance to win the title.
On the other hand, third seed Sugiarto was pushed to the limits by 15th-seeded local shuttler Khosit Phetpradab in a match that extended for 74 minutes. Despite taking the first game 21-9, the Indonesian shuttler conceded the second 22-24 only to buckle up and clinch the decider 21-16.
Notably, Friday's quarter-final clash was the first time in nine matches that a decider was forced against Sugiarto. The 28-year-old warmed up for the 2017 season with some high-octane games at India's Premier Badminton League in January and is looking focussed.
Despite having a 1-0 head-to-head advantage over his semi-final opponent, Tommy has to be on top of his game against Ginting, who has been ousting big names from the tournament so far.
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports
Singapore: Hub Sports 1
