# Top seed Chen Long withdrawal benefits Iskandar
# Iskandar to meet Daren Liew for a place in the quarter-finals
# Ho Yen Mei keeps Malaysian flag flying in the women’s singles
# Good day for Malaysia in doubles events
It will be an all-Malaysian battle for a place in the quarter-finals in the USD200,000 Yonex Taiwan Open Grand Prix Gold between national champion Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin and Daren Liew.
On a hectic day when the men’s singles event saw the first and second round matches played within hours the two Malaysians won their opening two matches. in straights sets.
Iskandar, especially rode on a big dose of luck that came his way after top seed and current world No 2 Chen Long pulled out at the eleventh hour.
Iskandar won his first round match against Indonesia’s young Firman Abdul Kholik 21-19, 21-11 in 34 minutes. About four hours later he was back on court to face Singapore’s Rio Olympic bound Derek Wong and won 21-10, 21-14 to advance to the third round.
Daren, who quit the national team after the Malaysian Masters in Penang in February, scalped two Taiwanese opponents to march into the third round where he will face Iskandar. The former Thomas Cupper has not lost to Iskandar in his previous encounters.
In the first round Daren took 31 minutes to beat Kuo Ching-hung 21-12, 21-19 and followed up with a 21-18, 21-14 win over Shih Kuei Chun in 35 minutes.
In the men’s doubles Malaysia’s No 1 pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong struggled to a 21-13, 16-21, 21-17 win over homesters Lin Chia Yu-Wu Hsiao-lin in a 49 minute match.
Youngsters Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi also cleared the first hurdle with a straight sets 21-10, 21-8 win over Indonesians Hantoro-Yohanes Rendy Sugiarto while privateers Hoon Thien How-Teo Kok Siang and Lim Khim Wah-Ong Jian Guo also won their respective matches.
Malaysia’s lone entry in the women’s singles Ho Yen Mei advanced to the second round with a 21-13, 21-8 win over Taiwan’s Shuo Yun Sung in 28 minutes. In the second round Yen Mei will face Korea’s Lee Jang-mi who upset fifth seed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand 21-15, 21-12.
Both the Malaysian pairs in the mixed doubles advanced to the second round with top seeds Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying coming off 21-13, 21-14 winners over Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet.
Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing stunned sixth seeds Huang Kaixiang-Huang Dongping of China 21-12, 21-19 in only 17 minutes.
In the women’s doubles Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Kian came through a tough first round match against Taiwan’s Hsu Ya Ching-Pai Yu Po before prevailing 21-19, 13-21, 21-12 after a 49 minute battle.
SELECTED RESULTS
Men’s singles (First Round)
Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) beat Firman Abdul Kholik (Ina) 21-19, 21-11
Daren Liew (Mas) beat Kuo Ching-hung (Tpe) 21-12, 21-19
Vincent Wong Wing Ki (Hkg) beat Chiang Shiang Chian (Mas) 21-8, 21-4
Huang Yuxian (Chn) beat Chong Wei Feng (Mas) 21-17, 21-13
Tan Chun Seang (Mas) beat Mek Narongkrit (Tha) 21-19, 21-17
Hsieh Lin Yu (Tpe) beat Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) 17-21, 21-8, 21-18
Yang Chih Chieh (Tpe) beat Tan Teck Han (Mas) 21-10, 21-11
Goh Giap Chin (Mas) beat Cheng Po Wei (Tpe) 20-22, 21-19m 21-19
Arif Abdul Latif (Mas) beat Yu Jen Chi (Tpe) 21-18, 21-17
Goh Soon Huat (Mas) beat Teng Shih Hua (Tpe) 21-14, 21-15
Subhankar Dey (Ind) beat Hu Yun (Hkg) 21-13, 21-8
Vladimir Malkov (Rus) beat Lo Chi Yu (Tpe) 21-17, 21-17
Wei Nan (Hkg) beat Shreyansh Jaiswal (Ind) 19-21, 22-20, 21-15
Tan Teck Han (Mas) beat Lin Chia Hsuan (Tpe) 3-1 (rtd)
Khosit Phetpradap (Tha) beat Yang Yi-hsiang (Tpe) 21-9, 21-17
Boonsak Polsana (Tha) beat Seung Jae-seo (Kor) 21-18, 21-18
Shih Kuei Chun (Tpe) beat Jacob Maliekal (SA) 13-21, 21-18, 21-17
Second Round
Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) beat Derek Wong (Sin) 21-10, 21-14
Daren Liew (Mas) beat Shih Kuei Chun (Tpe) 21-18, 21-14
Tian Houwei (Chn) beat Tan Chun Seang (Mas) 21-12, 21-10
Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) beat Arif Abdul Latif (Mas) 21-17, 21-8
Yang Chih Chieh (Tpe) beat Tan Teck Han (Mas) 21-10, 21-11
Boonsak Polsana (Tha) beat Huang Yuxiang (Chn) 21-14, 21-18
Khosit Phetpradap (Tha) beat Wang Tzu Wei (Tpe) 21-16, 19-21, 21-17
Hsueh Hsuan Yi (Tpe) beat Goh Soon Huat (Mas) 21-15, 21-16
Men’s Doubles (First Round)
Hoon Thien How-Teo Kok Siang (Mas) beat Shang Kai Lin-Lu Ching Yao (Tpe) 21-15, 22-20
Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Ina) beat Bae Kwon-young-Kim Deok-young (Kor) 21-17, 23-21
Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) beat Hantoro-Yohanes Rendy Sugiarto (Ina) 21-10, 21-8
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiog (Mas) beat Lin Chia Yu-Wu Hsiao-lin (Tpe) 21-13, 16-21, 21-17
Lim Khim Wah-Ong Jian Guo (Mas) beat Songphon Anugritayawon-Chaloempon Charoenkitamom (Tha) 21-10, 21-15
Hardianto Hardianto-Kenas Adi Haryanto (Ina) beat Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Lee (Tpe) 21-14, 21-19
Women’s singles (First Round)
Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) beat Shih Jyun Shou (Tpe) 21-19, 16-21, 21-18
Pai Yu Po (Tpe) beat Supanida Katethong (Tha) 21-16, 21-7
Chen Yufei (Chn) beat Fitriani Fitriani (Ina) 21-14, 21-16
Ho Yen Mei (Mas) beat Shuo Yun Sung (Tpe) 21-13, 21-8
Women’s doubles (First Round)
Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (Mas) beat Hsu Ya Ching-Pai Yu Po (Tpe) 21-9, 13-21, 21-12
Tiara Rosalia Nuraidah-Rizki Amelia Pradipta (Ina) beat Cheung Ying Mei-Fan Ka Yan (Hkg) 21-13, 21-10
Mixed Doubles (First Round)
Alfian Eko Prasetya-Annisa Saufika (Ina) beat Liu Yuchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) 21-18, 19-21, 21-16
Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing (Mas) beat Huang Kaixiang-Huang Dongpin (Chn) 21-12, 21-19
Hafiz Faisal-Shella Devi Aulia (Ina) beat Parinyawat Thongnuam-Natcha Saengchote (Tha) 21-11, 21-18
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Yeung Shing Choi-Yeung Nga Ting (Hkg) 21-11, 21-9
Reginald Lee Chun Hei-Chau Hoi Wah (Hkg) beat Lu Ching Yao-Huang Mei Ching (Tpe) 21-17, 21-19
Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (Mas) beat Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet (Hkg) 21-13, 21-14
