Yonex-Sunrise Singapore Open Heats Up with Hot Qualifiers
19th August 2003The Yonex-Sunrise Singapore Open 2003 kicked off this morning with plenty of hot qualifying action.
In the mixed doubles, the young Singapore pairing of Hendri Saputra and Li Yu Jia got the home fans excited, when they took the first set off England’s Simon Archer and Donna Kellogg. Archer is one half of the Commonwealth Games gold medallists and was Austrian International champion in April with Kellogg. But the experience of the English pair shone through in the next two sets to win 14-17, 15-7, 15-9.
Singapore’s other pair of Denny Setiawan and Liu Zhen, however, had no problems disposing Malaysia’s Wong Pei Tty and Abd Latiff Mohd Zakry 15-9, 17-15.
In men singles, Singapore’s Gerald Ho and Hendra Wijaya both successfully advanced into the second round. World number 158 Ho defeated Welsh number one Martyn Lewis 15-6, 15-11 who’s ranked 58 places above him. Hendra, a semifinalist at last year’s World Junior Championships, ousted Canadian Sam Smith 15-2, 15-4.
But the main highlight in the men singles was former All-England champion Puella Gopichand of India who was making a comeback from injury. The Indian number one has seen his world ranking drop to world number 123, but he showed glimpses of his old form to beat Malaysia’s Pei Wei Chung 15-5, 15-2 to enter the second round.
There was major disappointment however for reigning Commonwealth Games champion Li Li. The world number 52 is still recovering from major knee surgery and she lost 8-11,7-11 to Indian Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Aparna Popat of India.
“She’s more experienced than me and based on my current form, I am not surprised that I lost,” said Li Li. “I don’t think my injury was a problem and I think I was a bit anxious at crucial moments of the match. Of course I am sad that I am out of the Singapore Open but I believe I learn something today”
Added Singapore Badminton Association’s technical director Zheng Qingjin: “It wasn’t a bad performance from Li Li considering she is still coming back from injury. Her opponent showed her experience by being able to read and adapt to the draft conditions better. To me, the result is not so important. It’s all about gaining experience and learning from matches like these.”
The Yonex-Sunrise Singapore Open continues with the second round of qualifying action this evening.
Results (as of 7pm)
Mixed Doubles, Qualifying Draw, Rd 1 – Narkthong Nuttaphon/Salakjit Polsanat (THA) bt Chien Yu Hsun/Chang Ya-Lan (TPE) 15-6, 15-7, Koo Kien Keat/Chin Eei Hui (MAS) bt Martin Lungaard Hansen/Julie Houmann (DEN) 14-17, 15-13, 15-10, Njoto Albertus Susanti/Li Wing Mui (HKG) bt Gan Teik Chai/Fong Chen Yen (MAS) 15-2, 15-10, Panuwat Ngernsrisuk/Sathinee Chankrachanwong (THA) bt Lin Wei Hsiang/Chien Yu Chin (TPE) 15-6, 15-4, Simon Archer/Donna Kellogg (ENG) bt Hendri Saputra/Li Yu Jia (SIN) 14-17, 15-7, 15-9, Denny Setiawan/Liu Zhen (SIN) bt Abd Latif Mohd Zakry/Wong Pei Tty (MAS) 15-9, 17-15, Yau Tsz Yuk/Ling Wan Ting (HKG) bt Chang Kim Wai/Amin Norhasikin (MAS) 15-10, 15-7, Mathias Boe/Helle Nielsen (DEN) bt Chang Jeng-Shyuang/Cheng Shao-Chieh (TPE) 15-12, 15-9
Men Singles, Qualifying Draw, Rd 1- Gerald Ho Hee Teck (SIN) bt Martyn Lewis (WAL) 15-6, 15-11, Puella Gophichand (IND) bt Pei Wei Chung (MAS) 15-5, 15-2, Khrishnan Yogendran (MAS) bt Vidyadhar Jbs (IND) 15-10, 15-5, Wiempie Mahardi (INA) bt Kawaguchi Keishi (JPN) 15-8, 15-9, Kuan Beng Hong (MAS) bt Yusuke Shinkai (JPN) 15-4, 15-6, Hendra Wijaya (SIN) bt Sam Smith (CAN) 15-2, 15-4, Sebastian Bourbon (FRA) bt Philip Phua Jia Rong (SIN) 15-2, 15-13, Kennevic Asuncion (PHI) bt Bo Rafn (DEN) 6-15, 17-14, 15-12, Anand Chetan (IND) bt Alvin Fu (SIN) 15-7, 15-2, Masuda Keita (JPN) bt Shahruddin Mohd Hafiz (MAS) 15-8, 15-7, Arvind Bhat (IND) bt Thira Laohathaimongkol (THA) 10-15, 15-13, 15-13, Taufiq Akbar Hidayat (INA) bt Jean-Michel Lefort (FRA) 15-9, 15-3, Adisa Wiriyapadungpong (THA) bt Marcus Jansson (SWE) 15-7, 15-9, Lee Chong Wei (MAS) bt Wu Yunyong (CHN) 15-8, 13-15, 15-7, Latifi Mohd Nazree (MAS) bt Ardinasyah Putra (INA) 4-15, 15-11, 15-8, Chien Yu-Hsiu (TPE) bt John Gordon (NZL) 15-13, 15-2
Women Doubles, Qualifying Draw, Rd 1 – Jiang Yanmei/Li Yujia (SIN) bt Petra Overzier/Nicol Pitro (GER) 15-3, 12-15, 15-7, Issoliana Indarti/Stecia Angeline (INA) bt Jwala Gutta/Kurian Shruti (IND) 15-12, 15-13, Fan Jing Jing/ Liu Zhen (SIN) bt Mooi Hing Yau/Ooi Sook Ai (MAS) 15-10, 15-8, Nely Boteva/Petya Nedeltcheva (BUL) bt Amin Norhashikin/Fong Chew Yen (MAS) 15-9, 15-9, Liu Fan/Xing Aiying (SIN) bt Marilyn Pang/Tania Teoh (MAS) 17-15, 15-5, Chang Ya Lan/Cheng Shao Chieh (TPE) bt Tatania Vattier/Victoria Wright (FRA) 15-11, 15-5, Marissa Vita/Widiowati Eny (INA) bt See Phui Leng/Wong Pei Xian Julia (MAS) 15-3, 15-13, Sugina Kunalan/Hemalatha Arikrishnan (MAS) W/O Eny Erlangga/Lilyana Natsir (INA)
Men Doubles, Qualifying Draw, Rd 1 – Wiratama Yohan Hadikusum/ Yau Tsz Yuk (HKG) bt Ong Soon Hock/Tan Bin Shen (MAS) 6-15, 15-4, 15-3, Lin Woon Fui/Mohd Tazari Mohd Fairuzizua (MAS) bt Chua Yong Joo/Khoo Kian Teck (SIN) 15-7, 15-7, Sang Yang/Zheng Bo (CHN) bt Matthew Hughes/Martyn Lewis (WAL) 15-2, 15-3, Gan Teik Chai/Koo Kien Keat (MAS) bt Chien Yu Hsun/Huang Shih Chung (TPE) 15-7, 5-15, 15-9, Kawamae Naoki/Shirokai Yasuke (JPN) bt Ikeda Yuichi/Sato Shoji (JPN) 15-12, 15-12, Luluk Hadiyanto/Yulianto Alven (INA) bt Hu Chung Hsien/Lee Wei Jen (TPE) 15-5, 15-6, Hendri Saputra/Denny Setiawan (SIN) bt John Gordon/Daniel Shirley (NZL) 15-11, 12-15, 15-3, Hendra A Gunawan/Joko Riyadi (INA) bt Hashim bin Muhammad/Kean Kok Ng (MAS) 9-15, 15-8, 15-11
Women Singles Qualifying Draw, Rd 1 – Ling Wan Ting (HKG) bt Seo Yoon Hee (KOR) 11-6, 11-6, Xiao Luxi (SIN) bt Maja Tyrdy (SLO) 11-2, 11-3, Sara Persson (SWE) bt Louisa Koon Wai Chee (HKG) 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, Aparna Popat (IND) bt Li Li (SIN) 11-8, 11-7, Salakjit Polsana (THA) bt Nadezhda Kostioutchik (POL) 11-2, 13-11, Kamila Augustyn (POL) bt Simone Prutsch (AUS) 11-3, 11-6, Miyo Akao (JPN) bt Nina Weckstrom (FIN) 11-4, 11-8, Yuki Shimada (JPN) bt Lenny Permana (AUS) 11-4, 11-8