By Milly McEvoy in Birmingham
Tan Ning and Liu Sheng Shu are targeting a first YONEX All England title and they may have the perfect partnership to do it.
The Chinese pair have almost gone under the radar on their way to the semi-finals, quietly taking care of business, but the second seeds are ones to take notice of.
The Olympic silver medallists are yet to drop a game as they have reached the last four on just their second appearance in Birmingham.
“We are so happy,” Tan said after their quarter-final win over Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela.
“We lost in the second round last year so this year, the fact we can play in the semi-finals, I am really proud of us.
“This is only our second time playing at the All England. This year we want to focus on every match and we don’t want to worry too much about the result.”
Something to capture the attention is Liu’s smash which has topped 400 kilometres per hour.
She said: “To be honest I think I was born with it, thanks to my parents with their really nice genes.
“I think a wide variety of attack should be what we focus on, it is one of our weapons. That will be key for future preparations and for each tournament as well.”
And when asked what is Tan’s best skill, it was Liu that answered for her, in a role reversal of their on-court dynamic.
“Tan sets the shuttles for me to smash, that is her best shot” she joked.
There is a balance between the two with Liu revealing that she has to calm down the quick-tempered Tan.
This was evident in their 21-6 21-19 second-round win over Benyapa and Nuntakarn Aimsaard of Thailand when calm heads were needed in a close second game.
Yamaguchi shows she is still the boss
Liu said: "The things that we did really well were that we did a lot of communication on court even though we were losing points and we reminded each other what to do for the next point.
“In the second game, our opponent was trying to catch up in terms of the scoreline, but we didn’t worry too much.”
They must prepare for a semi-final meeting with the third seeds and former winners Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan.
National rivalries take on bigger meaning on Day 5 of All England
But having already bettered their result from 2024, the pair are mindful to remember what has got them to new heights.
“We are enjoying the game more,” Liu said. “That has made the difference.”
Last tickets available for the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2025. Book now to guarantee your seat to watch the world’s best badminton players compete! All England Open Badminton New | All England Badminton
