* Lin Dan suffers second straight first round defeatĀ
* World Championship bound Zulfadli also shown the exit in the first round
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Chinese superstar Lin Dan – a five time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist – suffered his second successive first round defeat in a Superseries event when he was knocked out of the USD800,000 BCA Indonesia Open at the Istora Sendayan Stadium in Jakarta on Wednesday.
His defeat at the hands of Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto leaves a big question on his badminton career. Tommy, son of former Indonesian ace Icuk Sugiarto, came back from a set down to prevail 19-21, 21-8, 21-16 in a 77-minute match.
Lin Dan also suffered a surprise first round defeat in last week’s The Star Australian Open in Sydney when he lost to Denmark’s former junior world champion Viktor Axelsen – the first time the Chinese ace was beaten in the first round in a superseries event.
Independent player Zulfadli Zulkifli, who will carry Malaysia’s challenge in this year’s World Championships to be held in Jakarta in August, who made the main draw in the Indonesian Open after coming through two qualifying round matches, was also a first round casualty.
Zulfadli, was no match for China’s Wang Zhengming (sixth seed) who won 21-11, 21-15 in only 31 minites.
Top seed and reigning world champion Chen Long of China, who won the Australian Open last week, got off to a roaring start with a 21-19, 21-12 win over Hong Kong’s Wei Nan in the first round.
Malaysia’s top doubles pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, who reached the quarter-finals in the Australian Open, opened their campaign in Jakarta with a 21-18, 21-15 win over Japan’s Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hiratu to earn a second round match against’s China’s Fu Haifeng-Zhang Nan, the eighth seeds. The Chinese pair defeated Indonesia’s Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi 24-22, 21-11 in their first round match.
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SELECTED RESULTS (FIRST ROUND)
Men’s singles
Tommy Sugiarto (Ina) beat Lin Dan (Chn) 19-21, 21-8, 21-16
Hu Yun (Hkg) beat Viktor Axelsen (Den) 21-13, 21-16
Chen Long (Chn) beat Wei Nan (Hkg) 21-19, 21-12
Wang Zhengming (Chn) beat Zulfadli Zulkifli (Mas) 21-11, 21-15
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Doubles
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) beat Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata (Jpn) 21-18, 21-15
Fu Hai Feng-Zhang Nan (Chn) beat Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi (Ina)
