Pornpawee Chochuwong has adopted a new way of playing to improve her chances of deeper runs at tournaments and today saw a glimpse of how she could benefit from it at CLASH OF CLANS Arctic Open 2023 powered by YONEX.

Centred around conserving energy, Chochuwong was able to ditch her hurriedness to an effective degree against top seed Tai Tzu Ying and came out a 21-19 23-21 winner at the end of a keen contest. It took Chochuwong to her first semifinal on the HSBC BWF World Tour since her Swiss Open success in March.

“I felt I wasted a lot of energy running around the court previously, now it’s more about run and control (the shuttle),” said the Thai. “It’s a work in progress, I hope to get better at this new way of playing.”

On her second victory over Tai in six meetings, Chochuwong added: “I tried to make her move more and didn’t rush into killing the shuttle. I only went for it when I was 100 per cent sure I could kill it.

“Skills wise, obviously she has the advantage but I worked hard to keep the rallies alive. And I made less mistakes than her.”

Tai agreed her error-prone display cost her a place in the last four.

“Too many unforced errors, I should pay more attention to my footwork. I could have moved faster at times,” said the world No.4.

Result at the Energia Arena also helped erase the pain of losing to Tai in the World Championships Round of 16.

“It was a close game as well but I allowed her to dictate the tempo. This time, I made sure I did,” said Chochuwong.

The match was not without drama. Believing she had converted on her match point at 21-20, Chochuwong fell onto the court in celebration before a challenge ruled the shuttled had just missed the baseline.

“My heart was pounding, I was praying it would go my way. When it didn’t I told myself ‘it’s okay, stay calm’ and thankfully I managed to get back into it.”

Next up is for the world No.12 is Han Yue, whom Chochuwong has only beaten once in six meetings. That solitary strike came three years ago at the All England; Chochuwong lost the subsequent four matches.

→ Results (Quarterfinals)

→ Order of play (Semifinals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID:

“We didn’t pay attention to their seeding as we already know they are a strong pair and have been consistent at the top for many years. We just wanted to be at our best even when leading because they had the ability and experience to come back.” – Chen Tang Jie after he and Toh Ee Wei defeated second seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai

“Having Malaysian fans so far away from home really gives you that ‘no fear’ feeling against your opponents. I want to thank them for their support.” – Ng Tze Yong

“We have a saying in China that if you are not dying you still have one breath. So I held my breath and kept playing, firmly and without thinking too much.” – Han Yue on her come-from-behind win against Mia Blichfeldt

“It was an important match for me because a lot of times I came close and lost tight matches. I was leading in the first game, gave it away and then I was trailing in the second but came back. That’s where the mental aspect comes in. I wasn’t letting go, neither was she. It didn’t matter who was leading. Only that one particular point mattered.” – Pusarla V. Sindhu after edging an epic battle against Thuy Linh Nguyen

“It’s fun playing new pairs. Sometimes we spend a bit more time watching videos just to get a feel. We then speak with our coach and make a gameplan so preparation is not all that different.” – Rasmus KjÆr on facing semifinal opponents Man Wei Chong/Kai Wun Tee for the first time

“We are happy we took a game off them but they just showed us how doubles is played. This is a milestone for us because it’s the best result we’ve ever achieved. We are grateful we could face legends like them.” – Adam Mendrek after he and Ondřej KrÁl lost to Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan