History BECKONS super Ratchanok

The world No 2 shuttler beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 22-20 in the semi-finals yesterday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and will play the final against China's Sun Yu.

Sun won her semi-final against team-mate He Bingjiao 21-10, 21-16.

Should Ratchanok lift the Singapore Open title, the Thai former world champion will be the first women's singles shuttler to win three straight titles in as many weeks. She will also overtake Spaniard Carolina Marin as the world No 1.

Ratchanok took two titles on the trot before arriving in Singapore, winning the India Open (Superseries) and Malaysia Open (Superseries Premier) events.

She said shortly after her win: "My opponent is very strong mentally. I watched her match against Marin in the quarter-finals and she does not get affected even when she is trailing. I told myself I had to control myself and try not to make mistakes.

"I've beaten Sun Yu in the Thailand Masters this year. I will try to relax, whether I win or lose the first game in the final. It will be my 15th consecutive match. I would ask all fans to lend me support. "

In the men's singles event, South Korea's Son Wan Ho booked a berth in the final after beating Angus Ng of Hong Kong 22-20, 21-16.

China's Lin Dan is scheduled to play the other men's semi-finals.

Ratchanok has already captured three major titles this year, the Thailand Masters Grand Prix Gold, the India Open World Superseries and the Malaysia Open World Superseries Premier. Following her exceptional performances, the Thai ace moved to the second spot of the BWF world rankings when the world’s badminton-governing body announced its weekly updates on Thursday.

Against Yamaguchi, the current Asian champ took the first game without much trouble 21-12. However, holding 1-0 advantage, the Thai sensation struggled in the second game when the Japanese fought back bravely with dazzling backhand smashes and deceptive cross-court drop shots, which saw the game turn out into a hotly-contested encounter.

Ratchanok showed her grit to narrow the lead at 17-15 at the near end of the game, but the never-say-die Yamaguchi fought on. She taught Ratchanok victory never comes easily as the Japanese hit some lightning fast drop shots and steep smashes to the back court to tie the score at 20-20. However, with the greater experience and form, Ratchanok put on an awesome display to capture two successive points to win the hard-fought game 22-20, the match and a final berth.

Ratchanok and Sun Yu played in three matches and the former has a 2-1 win/loss record against the latter. Earlier this year, Ratchanok beat Sun in straight games at the All-England Championships.