Jin Wei makes a winning debut in her first superseries

# Malaysian lass dumps Commonwealth Games champion Michelle Li

# Good day for Malaysians as Iskandar and Zulfadli also clear their first hurdle

# Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei to face Chinese hurdle again in women’s doubles

# Three Malaysian pairs advance in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles

By Rizal Abdullah

World junior champion Goh Jin Wei once again showed her strong mental strength when she made a superb start in her first superseries with a convincing win against Commonwealth Games gold medallist Michelle Li of Canada.

The world ranked No 58 from Penang dumped her Hong Kong-born Canadian, ranked No 21, with a straight sets 21-18, 21-10 win her only 33 minutes. Her reward is a second round clash against Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal.

The seventh seeded Nehwal, ranked No 8, advanced with a 21-10, 21-14 win over Australian Joy Lai. Jin Wei does not fear playing the Indian ace and cherishes facing another big name for a place in the quarter-finals.

Joining Jin Wei in the second round is compatriot Tee Jing Yi. The Malaysian number one cleared the first round with a 21-18, 21-11 win over Australian Wendy Chen.

Jing Yi has a mountain to climb in the second round where she faces newly crowned Indonesian Open champion Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan. The eighth seeded Taiwanese had to go the full distance before prevailing 21-12, 19-21, 21-19 against Japan’s Sayaka Sato. 

In the men’s singles national champion Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin swept to a 21-12, 21-14 win over Frenchman Brice Leverdez in 33 minutes while former world and asian junior champion Zulfadli Zulkifli romped to a 21-13, 21-6 win over Anthony Joe of Australia.

Iskandar’s next opponent is Japan’s Sho Sasaki but Zulfadli has a mountain to scale against top seed and hot favourite Chen Long of China. Chen won his first round match against Tang Huaidong of Australia 21-3, 21-4.

Malaysia had a good day in the mixed doubles with both pairs – Chan Peng Soon Goh Liu Ying and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing – clearing the first hurdle with ease. There was also joy in the women’s doubles when Rio Olympic bound Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei won their opening match against Australia’s Rainbow Ngai-Jennifer Tam 21-9, 21-7.

National No 1 Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong will face Indonesia’s Berry Angriawan-Rian Agung Saputro for a place in the quarter-finals while privateers Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will take on top seeds Mohammad Ahsan-Hendraw Setiawan of Indonesia after clearing their first hurdle.

It will be another uphill task for Malaysia’s No 1 women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei when they face third seeds Tang Yuanting-Yu Yang of China in the second round. The Malaysians won their first round match against Rainbow Ngai-Jennifer Tam of Australia 21-9, 21-7 in 22 minutes.

The Chinese pair beat the Malaysians 21-15, 21-9 in the semi-finals in last week’s Indonesia Open in Jakarta.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS (Selected)

Men’s singles

Chen Long (Chn) beat Tang Huaidong (Aus) 21-3, 21-14

Nguyen Tien Minh (Vie) beat Takuma Ueda (Jpn) 21-13, 21-17

Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Den) beat Derek Wong (Sin) 21-10, 21-16

Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) beat Tian Houswei (Chn) 21-16, 21-12

Hee Heo-kwang (Kor) beat Jonatan Christie (Ina) 21-15, 21-14

Jeon Hyeok-jin (Kor) beat Simon Leung (Aus) 21-5, 21-6

Sameer Verma (Ind) beat Ihsan Maulana Mustofa (Ina) 22-20, 15-21, 21-15

Hu Yun (Hkg) beat R.M.V. Gurusaidutt (Ind) 21-19, 12-21, 21-15

Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) beat Brice Leverdez (Fra) 21-12, 21-14

Pablo Aiman (Spn) beat Raul Must (Est) 21-12, 21-17

Srikanth (Ind) beat Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 21-16, 21-12

Wang Zhengming (Chn) beat Huang Yuxiang (Chn) 19-21, 21-21-13, 22-20

Sho Sasaki (Jpn) beat Hse Jen-hao (Tpe) 21-14, 21-12

Zulfadli Zulkifli (Mas) beat Anthony Joe (Aus) 21-13, 21-6 

Anthony Ginting (Ina) beat Chou Tien-chen (Tpe) 21-8, 21-12

Men’s doubles

Angga Pratama-Rickey Karanda Suwardi (Ina) beat Ronan Ho-Morgan Paitio (New Cal) 21-3, 21-8

Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) beat Ahmad Maziri Mazlan-Amir Syazwan Al-Razi (Mas) 21-10, 21-8

Berry Angriawan-Rian Agung Saputro (Ina) beat Mohamad Syazmil Idham-Muhammad Amzzar Zainuddin (Mas) 21-17, 22-20

Nur Azriyn Ayub-Jagdish Singh (Mas) beat Cham Chen-Sagar Kumar (Aus) 21-15, 21-6

Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn) beat Simon Leung-MItchell Wheller (Aus) 21-8, 21-5

Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) beat Nikkar Garg-M. Anilkumar Raju (Ind) 21-12, 21-10

Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) beat Ferry Kurniawan-Lim Chia Sheng (Aus) 21-9, 21-8

Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Aus) beat Matjis Derickx-Freek Golinski (Bel) 21-16, 16-21, 21-13

Women’s singles

Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky (Ina) beat Line Kjaersfeldt (Den) 21-16, 21-19

Tanvi Lad (Ind) beat Tiffany Ho (Aus) 18-21, 21-14, 21-11

Kim Hyo-min (Kor) beat P. V. Sindhu (Ind) 21-15, 21-19

Tee Jing Yi (Mas) beat Wendy Chen (Aus) 21-18, 21-11

Yip Pui Yin (Hkg) beat Sylvina Kurniawan (Aus) 21-8, 21-13

Wang Yihan (Chn) beat Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) 21-16, 21-10

Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) beat Melinda Sun (Aus) 21-4, 21-13

Lu Xuerui (Chn) beat Jennifer Tam (Aus) 21-15, 21-5

He Bingjiao (Chn) beat Iris Wang (USA) 21-19, 18-21, 21-14

Goh Jin Wei (Mas) beat Michelle Li (Can) 21-18, 21-10

Sun Yu (Chn) beat Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-23, 21-17, 21-19

Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat Sayaka Sato (Jpn) 21-12, 19-21, 21-19

Vu Thi Trang (Vie) beat Liang Xiaoya (Sin) 21-18, 21-19

Saina Nehwal (Ind) beat Joy Lai (Aus) 21-10, 21-14

Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) beat Minatsu Mitani (Jpn) 21-13, 21-16

Wang Shixian (Chn) beat Pai Yu Po (Tpe) 21-15, 21-15

Women’s doubles

Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) beat Rainbow Ngai-Jennifer Tam (Aus) 21-9, 21-7

Puttita Supajarakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) beat Setyana Mapasa-Gronya Somerville (Aus)

Huang Yaqiong-Tang Junhua (Chn) beat Elena Kwok-Janet Son (Aus) 21-6, 21-6

Bao Yixin-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Della Destiara Haris-Rosyita Eka Outri Sari (Ina) 21-16, 21-12

Mixed doubles

Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jin (Mas) beat Sawan Serasinghe-Setyana Mapasa (Aus) 21-18, 21-16

Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (Mas) beat Robin Middleton-Leanne Choo (Aus) 21-19, 21-17

Riky Widianti-Richi Pupita Dili (Ina) beat Jonathan Son-Jennifer Tam (Aus) 21-8, 21-10

Liu Yuchen-Tang Jinhua (Chn) beat Keigo Sonoda-Naoko Fukuman (Jpn) 21-13, 21-7

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