Two-time champion Lee Chong Wei is in the second round of the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan after a 21-17, 21-16 win over Chinese youngster Qiao Bin in the first round on a day when Lin Dan was ousted in a shock defeat.
Chong Wei was joined in the second round by men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong who struggled past Taiwan’s Liao Min Chun-Su Ching Heng 24-22, 22-20 win in a late night match at the Wuhan Sports Center on Wednesday.
There was also some cheer in the Malaysian camp in the women’s doubles through Soong Fie Cho-Tee Jing Yi and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie in the mixed doubles to make up for disappointing results from other hopefuls elsewhere.
Goh Jin Wei and Lee Ying Ying in the women’s singles and Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean in the women’s doubles failed to clear their first round matches. In the men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi; Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Chooi Kah Ming-Low Juan Shen did no better together with Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing in the mixed doubles.
Chong Wei, who in his own words is “enjoying every match” as more and more youngsters steal the limelight in the sport, is “taking one match at a time” in his bid to win his third Asian title. He won the title in 2006 and 2016.
The Malaysian did not put any pressure on himself in his 21-17, 21-16 win over Qiao Bin in 41 minutes. He next plays Indonesian youngster Anthony Ginting for a place in the quarter-finals.
Lin Dan, winner of the title in 2014 and 2015 fell to a 15-21, 21-9, 21-16 defeat to unseeded Wang Tzu Wei of Chinese Taipei in a 62 minute match at the Wuhan Sports Center that left the home fans shocked.
“My opponent simply played well,” said the sixth seeded Lin Dan, who lost to Chen Long in last year’s final at the same venue.
Third seed Chen Long breezed through a 21-8, 21-8 over Jordan’s Bahaedeen Ahmad Alshannik in 33 minutes while Srikanth, fresh from winning the silver medal in the recent Commonwealth Games in Gold Australia was taken the distance by Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto before prevailing 13-21, 21-16, 21-16 in 61 minutes.
“Nishimoto played very well in the first game before I could find my rhythm to force a decider. Once I was able get the feel of the court and read my opponent’s game I was confident of winning the match,” said Srikanth who was briefly ranked the world No 1 during the Commonwealth Games.
In the second round Srikanth, will face Hong Kong’s Vincent Wong Wing Ki who was also stretched to three games 21-16, 17-21, 21-14 by Nepal’s Ratnajit Tamang.
Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, always a crowd puller in Wuhan, began his campaign in style – winning against Chinese youngster 21-17, 21-16.
“It is good to make a winning start. There are several up and coming youngsters who are giving the veterans like me a tough time. It adds variety to the game and something for the fans to cheer about,” said Chong Wei, the newly crowned Commonwealth Games champion.
Meanwhile top seed and defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei was needed only 28 minutes to win her first round match against Korea’s Jeon Jui 21-13, 21-9. Tzu Ying who has won the title the last two years will play another Korean – Kim Hyo-min in the second round. Myo-min.
India’s Commonwealth Games gold medallist Saina Nehwal and silver medallist P. V. Sindhu also won their first round matches.
SELECTED RESULTS (FIRST ROUND)
Men’s singles
K. Srikanth (Ind) beat Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) 13-21, 21-16, 21-16
Chen Long (Chn) beat Bahaedeen Ahmad Alshannik (Jor) 21-8, 21-8
Si Yuqi (Chn) beat Lee Dong Keun (Kor) 21-3, 6-2 (rtd)
Vincent Wong Wing Ki (Hkg) beat Tamang Ratnajit (Nep) 21-16, 17-21, 21-4
Kento Momota (Jpn) beat Nguyen Tien Minh (Vie) 21-11, 21-15
Chou Tien-chen (Tpe) beat Sameer Verma (Ind) 23-21, 21-17
Anthony Ginting (Ina) beat Nilika Karunaratne (Sri) 22-20, 21-12
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Qiao Bin (Chn) 21-17, 21-16
Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) beat Lin Dan 15-21, 21-9, 21-16
Men’s Doubles
M. R. Arjun-Ramchandran Shlok (Ind) beat Chung Eui-seok-Kim Dukyoung (Kor) 25-23, 23-21
Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han (Tpe) beat Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin (Mas) 20-22, 21-18, 21-17
Angga Pratama-Rian Agung Saputro (Ina) beat Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) 21-17, 25-23
Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han (Tpe) beat Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Mas) 21-16, 18-21, 21-16
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) beat Liao Min Chun-Su Ching Heng (Tpe) 24-22, 22-20
Women’s singles
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat Jeon Jui (Kor) 21-13, 21-9
Kim Hyo-min (Kor) beat Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky (Ina) 21-10, 21-10
Lee Jang-mi (Kor) beat Hanna Ramadini (Ina) 21-17, 17-21, 25-23
He Bingjiao (Chn) beat Yip Pui Yin (Hkg) 21-19, 21-14
Saina Nehwal (Ind) beat Yeo Jia Min (Sgp) 21-12, 21-9
Gao Fangjie (Chn) beat Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-15, 23-21
Intanon Ratchanok (Tha) beat Lee Chia-hsin (Tpe) 21-7, 21-13
Sung Ji-hyun (Kor) beat Sayaka Sato (Jpn) 21-13, 21-19
Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) beat Goh Jin Wei (Mas) 18-21, 21-15, 21-10
P.V.Sindhu (Ind) beat Pai Yu Po (Hkg) 21-14, 21-19
Nitchaon Jindapol (Tha) beat Lee Ying Ying (Mas) 12-21, 21-17, 21-17
Women’s doubles
Meghana Jakkampudi-Poorvisha Sri Ram (Ind) beat Ong Ren Ne-Crystal Wong Jia Ying (Sgp) 14-21, 22-20, 21-17
Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota (Jpn) beat Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (Mas) 21-12, 21-17
Greysia Polii-Rahayu Apriyani (Ina) beat Huang Dongping-Li Wenmei (Chn) 15-21, 21-11, 21-19
Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Prajongjai (Tha) beat Gong Xue Xin-Ng Weng Chi (Mac) 21-11, 21-9
Mixed Doubles
Ahmad Tontowi-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) beat Yuki Kaneko-Koharu Yonemoto (Jpn) 21-18, 21-12
He Jiting-Du Yeu (Chn) beat Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) 18-21, 21-12, 21-16
Tinn Isriyanet-Pacharpun Chochuwong (Tha) Lu Ching Yao-Chiang Kai Hsin (Tpe) 21-11, 17-21, 21-12
Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (Mas) beat Lee Yang-Hsu Ya Ching (Tpe) 21-19, 21-6
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