Defending champion Lee Mi-rae faces Kim Ga-young in LPBA semifinal

Defending champion Lee Mi-rae will face Kim Ga-young — who is chasing her 20th career title — in the semifinals of the HaiOne Resort Championship.

At the LPBA quarterfinals of the 2026-27 season's second-tour event, held Monday at the Grand Hotel Convention Tower of HaiOne Resort in Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Province, Lee defeated Nguyen Hoang Yen Nhi of Vietnam in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (11-5, 6-11, 6-11, 11-10, 9-8), to advance to the semifinals.

Trailing 1-2 in sets, Lee clawed back the fourth set by a single point to force a deciding fifth, then rallied from 5-8 down to score three straight points and seal a dramatic comeback victory.

Lee claimed the HaiOne Resort Championship title last season for the first time in four years and eight months and will now bid to defend it. Her semifinal opponent, Kim Ga-young, swept Kim Sang-a 3-0 on Monday to advance, extending her match winning streak to 17 as she pursues her 20th career title.

Lee holds a 3-4 career record against Kim and is currently on a four-match losing streak against her. Lee's last win came in the semifinals of the 2020-21 season's fifth tour event, the Welcome Savings Bank Championship, a 2-0 set victory. She has lost four straight since, including a 0-3 shutout in the semifinals of the 2025-26 season's fifth tour event, the Crown Haitai Championship.

The other semifinal will pit "Cambodian Express" Sruong Pheavy against Kwon Bal-hae. Both advanced with 3-1 wins — Sruong over Seo Han-sol and Kwon over Jang Ga-yeon. Kwon leads their head-to-head record 2-0.

In the PBA round of 32, also held Monday, Kim Jun-tae swept Kang Dong-gung 3-0 to advance to the round of 16. Kim had beaten Kang 3-1 in the round of 16 at the season-opening tour event, the Woori Financial Capital Championship, in May. The repeat victory has cemented his reputation as a "Hulk killer."

Jo Jae-ho survived a five-set battle against Seo Hyeon-min to reach the round of 16, while "Spanish legend" Daniel Sanchez dispatched Kang Eui-ju 3-0. Kim Yeong-won also swept Kim Hyeon-woo 3-0. Lee Chung-bok dropped the first two sets against Choi Seong-won before staging a dramatic comeback to reach the round of 16.

Tuesday marks the seventh day of the tournament, with the PBA round of 16 and the LPBA semifinals on the schedule. The PBA round of 16 begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by the LPBA semifinals at 3 p.m.