Top seed John Millman was forced to retire injured in the second set of his match with the unseeded Hiroki Moriya in the Ningbo semi-finals. Moriya will face Yen-Tsun Lu after he defeated Hyeon Chung 6-7, 7-6, 6-2.
Millman looked well off the pace throughout the match, surrendering the first set 6-2 to the Japanese player. He looked uncomfortable and eventually retired after discussions with the umpire and the trainer during the second, with the final score 6-2, 4-3 ret.
Yen-Hsun Lu instead ensured the Chinese crowd had a close match to enjoy in his victory over sixth seed Hyeon Chung. Chung had looked poised to secure a place in the final when he held match point in the second set tie break, but Lu dug deep to turn the tables and force a deciding set. Chung failed to put the disappointment of losing out in the second set tie break, surrendering his serve three times in the final set, only reclaiming the one break, as Lu eventually made the win comfortable.
The final sees Lu face Japan’s Hiroki Moriya. Lu as the second seed facing an unseeded opponent will be considered the favourite. Despite his fortune in Millman’s injury in the second set Moriya has nevertheless enjoyed a strong week and his win against Duckhee Lee shows he is in form regardless of outside factors. Despite that, the thirty-three year-old Lu is the likelier winner and probably in straight sets.
