Match: Jan O Jorgensen v Sameer Verma
Date: 26 November, Saturday
Time: 7:10pm SGT/4:40 pm IST/11:10am GMT
Competition: Hong Kong Open 2016
Venue: Hong Kong Coliseum, Kowloon
TV Channel: In Singapore, there is no live TV coverage of the match.
Live Streaming: BWF official YouTube channel, Hotstar
Overview
Jan O Jorgensen takeS on Sameer Verma in the Men's singles semi-final of 2016 Hong Kong Open in Kowloon on 26 November. The second seed got back to winning ways after clinching the China Open title defeating higher-ranked Chen Long in the final earlier this month. Heading into the season's final Superseries tournament in Hong Kong, Jorgensen has looked impressive against tricky local shuttlers.
After winning his opening round against India's Sai Praneeth in straight games, the Danish shuttler was tested in the second round by Hong Kong's Wei Nan. Despite losing the first game, Jorgensen pushed took the match to the decider, which he won 24-22.
His quarter-final outing was relatively easy against another local shuttler Wing Ki Vincent as the Dane took the match with a straight games win. With top seeds crashing out, Jorgensen will be eager to make use of the opportunity and add the Hong Kong Open title to his trophy cabinet.
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Standing in Jorgensen's way is 22-year-old Sameer, who has reached his maiden Superseries semi-final in Hong Kong. The unseeded shuttler disposed off a challenge from Malaysia's Chong Wei Feng 15-21, 21-11, 21-15 in the quarter-final on Friday.
Sameer, who trains under former All England Champion Pullela Gopichand, has taken giant strides in the last 12 months. The senior national champion, who reportedly ranked 175th in May last year, climbed his way inside the top 50. Wins at Tata Open and two titles in Bahrain late last year has helped the talented youngster.
Also read: Jan O Jorgensen apologises to Malaysians over disrespect to national flag
The 43rd-ranked shuttler also reached the semi-final of Bitburger Open earlier this month but his progress was stopped by China's Shi Yuqi.
Sameer has worked his way through the initial rounds and has given himself a good chance to create history in Hong Kong. However, beating the in-form Jorgensen might be a tough ask for the youngster.
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports 4
