# Iskandar and Liew Daren fail to make the quarter-finals
# Mixed doubles Peng Soon-Pei Jing keep Malaysia’s flag flying in mixed doubles
By Rizal Abdullah
Much was expected from national champion Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin but instead the Malaysian hope was blown away in the third round in the USD150,000 China Masters in Jiangsu on Thursday.
He completely melted down in the rubber set in his 21-18, 15-21, 4-21 defeat to South Korea’s Lee Dong Keun in 61 minutes at the Olympic Sports Center Xincheng Gymnasium.
Iskandar, the 15th seed, said later that he was impatient and it cost him dearly where he paid the price in his defeat to the eighth seeded Korean.
Professional Daren Liew was also a third round casualty. He lost 10-21, 15-21 to seventh seed H. S. Prannoy of India in 34 minutes.
However, the Malaysia’s top mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying kept the Malaysian flag flying with a come from behind 22-24, 21-12, 21-13 win over China’s Zhu Junhao-Zhao Chaomin in 44 minutes.
In the quarter-finals the Malaysians will face Chinese qualifiers He Jiting-Du Yue who shocked third seeds Shin Baek-cheol-Chae Joo-jun of Korea 21-19, 19-21, 21-18.
On current form Peng Soon-Liu Ying, the New Zealand Grand Prix Gold Open champions and Malaysia Open Superseries Premier runners-up and ranked No 11 in the world are tipped to reach the semi-finals.
Malaysia’s other mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing, however, also fell in the third round. Kian Meng-Pei Jing were beaten 14-21, 21-19, 21-14 by Singapore’s much improved pair Terry Hee Yong Kai-Tan Wei Han.
Meanwhile, India’s H. S. Prannoy poses a real threat to top seed and world No 1 Chen Long of China when they play in the quarter-finals.In the third round the seventh seeded Indian packed off former Malaysian Thomas Cupper Liew Daren with a 21-10, 21-15 win in 34 minutes.
Chen Long, a two-time winner of the China Masters title – in 2011 and 2012 – defeated compatriot Shi Yuqi 21-16, 21-10 in 40 minutes.
Second seed Lin Dan, who has won the China Masters four times – in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2014 – will face newcomer Guangzu Lu in an all-China quarter-final match after winning their respective third round matches.
Lin Dan stopped Japan’s Riichi Takeshita 21-13, 21-17 in 42 minutes while Guangzu made shortwork of another Japanese Hashiro Shimono 21-10, 21-16.
Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, who is vying for a place in the Rio Olympics in August, outplayed Taiwan’s Lin Yu-hsien 21-11, 21-10 in only 28 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals against Dong Keun.
In the men’s doubles top seeds Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong were ruthless in their 21-18, 21-12 win over Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-hui-Lee Yang while another Korean pair Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang, the third seeds, got the better of another Taiwanese pair Huang Po-jui-Tien Tzu Chieh 21-16, 21-11
Unseeded Huang Kaixiang-Zhang Siwei upset fifth seeds Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan 21-19, 21-12 in all-China third round clash while fourth seeds Ko Sung-hyun-Shin Baek-cheol of Korea advanced with a 21-14, 21-11 win over Taiwan’s Chen Hung Ling-Wang Chi-lin.
Last year’s semi-finalists Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei of Malaysian failed to make the last eight when they lost 17-21, 18-21 to China’s Huang Dongping-Zhong Qianxin in 43 minutes.
The Luo twins of China Luo Ying-Luo Yu, the top seeds continued their march but were fully tested by Thailand’s Puttita Supajirakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai before prevailing 10-21, 21-10, 21-14.
They will face India’s Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa for a place in the semifinals. The Indians won in straight sets 21-12, 21-12 against Taiwan’s Hsieh Pei-chen-Wu Ti-jung in a 28 minute match.
THIRD ROUND RESULTS (Selected)
Men’s singles
Chen Long (Chn) beat Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-16, 21-10
Lin Dan (Chn) beat Riichi Takeshita (Jpn) 21-13, 21-17
Guangzu Lu (Chn) beat Hashiru Shimono (Jpn) 21-10, 21-16
Lee Dong Keun (Kor) beat Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) 18-21, 21-15, 21-4 S
Tanongsak Saensombonsuk (Tha) beat Lin Yu-hsien (Tpe) 21-11, 21-10
S. Prannoy (Ind) beat Daren Liew (Mas) 21-10, 21-15
Lin Guipu (Chn) beat Guo Kai (Chn) 21-11, 21-19
Kazuma Sakai (Jpn) beat Tang Zhenning (Chn) 21-11, 21-12
Men’s doubles (Second Round)
Huang Kaixiang-Zheng Siwei (Chn) beat Liu Xiaolong-Qiu Zihan (Chn) 21-19, 21-12
Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong (Kor) beat Lee Jhe-hui-Lee Yang (Tpe) 21-18, 21-12
He Jiting-Tan Qiang (Chn) beat Hoon Thien How-Teo Kok Siang (Mas) 21-13 (rtd)
Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang (Kor) beat Huang Po jui-Tien Tzu Chieh (Tpe) 21-16, 21-11
Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Ina) beat Ruud Bosch-Oliver Leydon-Davis (Ned/NZ) 21-19, 21-5
Takeshi Kumura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Liu Wei-chen-Yang Po-han (Tpe) 21-15, 21-9
Wang Yilyu-Zhang Wen (Chn) beat Pranaav Jerry Chopra-kshay Dewalkar (Ind) 21-17, 21-12
Women’s singles (Second Round)
Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Tha) beat Shen Yaying (Chn) 21-16, 21-9
Li Xuerui (Chn) beat Ayumi Mine (Jpn) 21-23, 21-10, 21-8
Chen Yufei (Chn) beat Li Wenmei (Chn) 21-14, 21-15
P.V. Sindhu (Ind) beat Chien Hui-yu (Tpe) 21-9, 21-17
He Bingjiao (Chn) beat Kaori Imebeppu (Jpn) 21-12, 21-16
Bae Yeon-ju (Kor) beat Chen Xiaolin (Chn) 21-12, 21-18
Sun Yu (Chn) beat Saena Kawakami (Jpn) 21-12, 21-15
Busanan Buranaprasertsuk (Tha) beat Gao Fangjie (Chn) 21-17, 21-14
Women’s doubles
Huang Dongping-Zhong Qianxin (Chn) beat Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) 21-17, 21-18
Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) beat Puttita Supajirakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) 10-21, 21-10, 21-14
Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa (Ind) beat Hsieh Pei-chen-Wu Ti-jung (Tpe) 21-12, 21-12
Tiara Rosalia Nuraidah-Rizki Amelia Pradipta (Ina) beat Xu Ya-Zhou Chaomin (Chn) 21-14, 21-16
Chang Ye-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) beat Nisak Puji Lestari-Merisa Cindy Sahputri (Ina) 21-10, 21-14
Mixed doubles
Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (Mas) beatZhu Junhao-Zhao Chaomin (Chn) 22-24, 21-12, 21-13
Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn) beat Hafiz Faisal-Shella Devi Aulia (Ina) 21-19, 21-18
Terry Hee Yong Kai-Tan Wei Han (Sin) beat Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) 14-21, 21-19, 21-14
Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) beat Kim Gi-jung-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) 21-16, 19-21, 21-11
Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino (Jpn) beat Zhou Hadodong-Hu Yuxaing (Chn) 21-16, 16-21, 21-11
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Lee Yong-dae-Lee So-hee (Kor) 21-14, 21-15
