Akane Yamaguchi
Three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi will be relieved that arch-rival An Se-young will not be playing at the Australian Open badminton championships that started today.
The Japanese shuttler had been given the top billing in the absence of Se-young, who had beaten her in both the Singapore Open and Indonesian Open over the past two weeks. Apart from the Korean superstar, also giving the tournament a miss are the Chinese stars Wang Zhiyi and Chen Yufei.
This will be Yamaguchi’s fifth tournament in just over a month, having also won the Thailand Open and representing Japan at the Uber Cup Finals.
It will also be her first appearance in nine years at the Australian open since her defeat to compatriot Nozomi Okuhara in 2017.
Yamaguchi begins her campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Huang Ching Ping tomorrow. She is the clear favourite given her recent form, with only P.V. Sindhu and Pornpawee Chochuwong joining her among the world’s top 10 players in the draw. With Chochuwong in the bottom half, Sindhu represents her toughest test in the top 16 bracket.
In men’s singles, Chinese Taipei teammates Chou Tien Chen and Lin Chun-Yi are the leading contenders, particularly following the withdrawals of fourth seed Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and sixth seed Ayush Shetty of India.
One player, who could quietly make some noise in the competition, is Malaysia’s former top player Lee Zii Jia.
Zii Jia had to play in the qualifying rounds and edged past Japan’s Shogo Ogawa 24-22, 22-20 and Riki Takei 15-21, 21-17, 21-16 to book a main draw first round clash against Taiwanese Lee Chia Hao.
Indonesia’s seeded hopes in men’s doubles – Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Indonesian Open runners-up Raymod Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin have pulled out of the competition.
The withdrawal of Fajar-Muhammad sees their teammates Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi elevated as the highest ranked pairing in the competition. The duo opened their campaign with a tentative 23-21, 21-16 win over Singapore’s Donovan Willard Wee-Howin Wong Hia Hao.
In the women’s doubles, top seeded Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian eased to a comfortable 21-7, 21-5 win over siblings Sydney Tjonadi-Victoria Tjonadi.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Men’s Doubles: Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi (Ina) bt Donovan Willard Wee-Howin Wong Hia Hao (Sgp) 23-21, 21-16; Kang Ming-hyuk-Ki Dong-ju (Kor) bt Rizky Hidayat-Frengky Wijaya Putra (Aus) 21-14, 21-11; Lee Fang-Chih-Lee Fang-Jen (Tpe) bt Chen Bo-Yuan-Lu Ming Che (Tpe) 15-21, 21-15, 21-19; Hung Kuei Chun-Lui Chun Wei (Chn) bt Ali Faathir Rayhan-Devin Artha Wahyudi (Ina) 21-17, 11-21, 21-13; Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) bt Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang (Kor) 21-14, 21-14; Michael Owen-Dylan Soedjasa (Aus-Nzl) bt Su Ching Heng-Tang Kai Wei (Tpe) 21-18, 21-11; Chia Weiji-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) bt Muh Putra Erwiansyah-Bagas Maulana (Ina) 21-18, 23-21l Kanki Igawa-Ooi Yi Hern (Aus) bt Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu-Pochana Arjun Reddy (Ind) 21-15, 21-15; Wang Yue Heng-Xie Zewei (Eng-Aus) 21-8, 21-19; Hariharan Amsakarunan-M.R. Arjun (Ind) bt Arden Quan Lee-Stanley Xing (USA) 21-13, 21-13; Chen Cheng Kuan-Liu Kuang Heng (Tpe) bt Chu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi-Lin (Tpe) 21-19, 21-17; Huang Di-Liu Yang (Chn) bt Wesley Koh Eng Keat-Junsuke Kubo (Jpn) 21-16, 21-17
Women’s Doubles: Rachel Allessya Rose-Febi Setianingrum (Ina) bt Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim (Kor) 16-21, 21-16, 21-15; Francesca Corbett-Jennis Gai (USA) bt Gronya Somerville-Josephine Wu (Aus-Can) 21-14, 21-6; Polina Buhrova-Yevheniia Kantemyr (Ukr) bt Setyapa Mapasa-Angela Yu (Aus) 12-21, 14-15 rtd; Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) bt Sydney Tjonadi-Victoria Tjonadi (Aus) 21-7, 21-5; Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari (Ina) bt Yeung Nga Ting-Yeung Pui Lam (Chn) 21-9, 21-18; Lui Lok Lok-Tsang Hiu Yan (Chn) bt Lilian Cao-Yuran Zhang (Aus) 21-8, 21-3; Hsu Ya Ching-Sung Yu-Hsuan (Tpe) bt Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) 21-19, 9-21, 21-12; Luo Yi-Wang Tingge (Chn) bt Chang Ching Hui-Yang Ching Tun (Tpe) 21-14, 16-21, 21-17; Audrey Chang-Jasmine Yeung (Aus) bt Chen Yan Fei-Liang Ching Sun (Tpe) 19-14 rtd; Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah (Mas) bt Hsieh Pei Shan-Hung En-Tzu (Tpe) 21-19, 13-21, 21-19; Lauren Lam-Allison Quynh Lee (USA) bt Hu Ling Fang-Jheng Yu Chieh (Tpe) 21-13, 14-21, 21-5; Hsu Yin-hui-Lin Jhih Yun (Tpe) bt Chen Su Yu-Chen Han (Tpe) 21-12, 21-7
