Sim_Yu-jin (Photo by Tony2803.tw)
Two former world champions were among the seeded casualties in the opening round of the Japan Open badminton championships. Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew and Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon are both out in the first round of the USD950,00 tournament.
Kean Yew, who had never lost to Brian Yang in three previous meetings, was beaten by the Canadian 16-21, 14-21. It was only their first meeting in four years on the circuit.
Brian will take on top seeded Shi Yuqi in the second round after the Chinese star eased past Japan’s Yudai Okimoto 21-15, 21-15.
Ratchanok, seeded seventh, was also beaten for the first time in three meetings by South Korean Sim Yu-jin. In their first meeting in more than a year, Yu Jin picked up a stunning 21-18, 21-19 win over her more illustrious opponent.
Top seed and the red-hot favourite An Se-young was in impeccable form as she thrashed Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-6, 21-9 in her opening match.
Indonesian ace Jonatan Christie was also beaten in the men’s singles opening round tie. The fourth seeded Jonatan, who had beaten Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul at the Indonesia Open last month, was at the receiving end this time in Japan.
Panitchaphon claimed a 21-16, 21-14 win to ease into the second round.
Men’s doubles second seeds, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty had their comeback derailed once again. An recurrence of a shoulder injury to Satwiksairaj forced the reigning Asian Games champions to retire injured after conceding the opening game 19-21.
It was the same injury that had sidelined the pair from four tournaments, just weeks after they ended a two-year title drought by winning the Singapore Open in May.
Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai paid put to the hopes of seventh seeds Chen Boyang-Liu Yi of China, winning 11-21, 26-24, 21-15.
It was also the end of the road for Malaysia’s top ranked women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan. Despite a fast start, the fifth seeds bowed out 9-21, 17-21, 17-21 to the Chinese Taipei duo of Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhih Yun.
In the mixed doubles competition, eighth seeds Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi were beaten 14-21, 21-18, 14-21 by Japan’s Akira Koga-Natsu Saito.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Men’s singles: Christo Popov (Fra) bt Weng Hongyang (Chn) 21-14, 23-21; Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) bt Lin Chun-yi (Tpe) 21-17, 21-19; Shi Yuqi (Chn) bt Yudai Okimoto (Jpn) 21-15, 21-15; Alwi Farhan (Ina) bt Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) 21-14, 21-11; Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Lee Chia Hao (Tpe) 21-15, 21-18; Leong Jun Hao (Mas) Chi Yu Jen (Tpe) 21-19, 21-16; Brian Yang (Can) bt Loh Kean Yew (Sgp) 21-17, 18-21, 21-18; Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul (Tha) bt Jonatan Christie (Ina) 21-16, 21-14
Men’s doubles: Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Den) bt Keiichiro Matsui-Kenya Mitsuhashi (Jpn) 23-21, 21-16; Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) bt Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind) 21-19, rtd; Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (Tha) 17-21, 21-13, 21-11; Chen Zhiyi-Presley Smith (USA) bt Junaidi Arif-Yap Roy King (Mas) 26-24, 15-21, 21-18; Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi (Jpn) bt Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami (Jpn) 21-13, 21-16; Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin (Mas) bt Hu Keyuan-Lin Xiangyi (Chn) 22-20, 21-18; Lee Jhe-Huei-Yang Po-Hsuan (Tpe) bt Hariharan Amsakarunan-M.R. Arjun (Ind) 21-13, 17-21, 21-7; Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai (Mas) bt Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) 11-21, 26-24, 21-15
Women’s singles: Polina Buhrova (Ukr) bt Riko Gunji (Jpn) 18-21, 22-20, 22-20; Han Yue (Chn) bt Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) 21-10, 21-12; An Se-young (Kor) bt Hina Akechi (Jpn) 21-6, 21-9; Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) bt Han Qianxi (Chn) 11-21, 21-11, 21-14; Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Supinada Katethong (Tha) 23-21, 21-12; Sim Yu-jin (Kor) bt Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-18, 21-19; Michelle Li (Can) bt Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) 21-17, 21-12; P.V. Sindhu (Ind) bt Wong Ling Ching (Mas) 21-14, 21-11
Women’s doubles: Sayaka Hirota-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) bt Julie MacPherson-Ciara Torrance (Sco) 21-15, 21-5; Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Hathaithip Mijad-Napapakorn Tungkasatan (Tha) 21-12, 11-21, 21-17; Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhih Yun (Tpe) bt Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan (Mas) 9-21, 21-17, 21-17; Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) bt Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting (Mas) 21-12, 21-18; Lauren Lam-Allison Quynh Lee (Tpe-USA) bt Hu Ling Fang-Jheng Yu Chieh (Tpe) 21-15, 21-12; Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari (Ina) bt Chang Ching Hui-Yang Ching Tun (Tpe) 21-16, 21-8; Lui Lok Lok-Tsang Hiu Yan (Hkg) bt Polina Buhrova-Yevheniia Kantemyr (Ukr) 21-12, 21-10; Kim Hye-jeong-Kong Hee-yong (Kor) bt Luo Yi-Wang Tingge (Chn) 21-14, 16-21, 21-14
Mixed doubles: Yuta Watanabe-Maya Taguichi (Jpn) bt Liu Kuang Heng-Hsu Yin-Hui (Tpe) 22-20, 21-18; Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) Rohan Kapoor-Gadde Ruthvika Shivani (Ind) 21-11, 21-10; Akira Koga-Natsu Saito (Jpn) bt Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi (Chn) 21-14, 18-21, 21-14; Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto (Ind) bt Alexander Dunn-Julie MacPherson (Sco) 21-16, 21-14; Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui (Chn) bt Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien (Mas) 21-13, 21-13; Yang Po-Hsuan-Hu Ling Fang (Tpe) Chen Tang Jie-Clarissa San (Mas) 21-15, 21-19; Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan (Tpe) bt Pakkapon Teeraratsakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) 15-21, 21-19, 21-19; Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran (Tha) bt Supak Jomkoh-Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn (Tha) 21-19, 21-12
