Champions off to a winning start in Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan
Another Japanese hurdle awaits defending men's singles champion Lee Chong Wei after the world No 1 and top seeded Malaysian cleared his first hurdle in his first round match in the 2017 Wuhan - City of Automobile Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan on Wednesday.
Chong Wei eased past Kazumasa Sakai 21-19, 21-11 in 41 minutes after some initial resistance in the first set which the champion said "it is usual in your first match" to advance to the second round.
His second round opponent is Japanese qualifier Kenta Nishimoto who shocked Indonesian Olympian Tommy Sugiarto with a rather easy 21-14, 21-9 victory.
"I felt comfortable...once I got a feel of the court and environment," said Chong Wei who gave a lengthy interview to the horde of local journalists, both from the print and television, at mixed zone area.
"Hopefully it will be a much better performance in my second match. I will not underrate any of my opponents. It is good start to defend my title."
Meanwhile second seed Chen Long of China whipped Ros Leonard Pedrosa of the Philippines in his first round match in only 27 minutes and will face Japan's Takuma Ueda for a place in the quarter-finals.
Newly crowned China Masters champion Tian Houwei, however, was bundled out of the tournament when he suffered a shock defeat to India's Ajay Jayaram in three sets. The unseeded Indian, who is ranked a career best No 13 won the 70 minute battle 21-18, 18-21, 21-19.
Five time world champion Lin Dan, who won the Malaysia Open early this month is also through to the second round when he tamed Korean youngster Lee Dong Keun 21-15, 21-10.
Top seed and world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying was hardly stretched in her 21-10, 21-8 win over Vietnam Thuy Linh while India's No 8 seed and former world No 1 Saina Nehwal went out of the tournament - losing to Japan's Sayaka Sato who triumphed 19-21, 21-16, 21-18 in 68 minutes.
However, Rio Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu kept India's challenge alive when she advanced after a 21-8, 21-18 win over Indonesian Dinar Dyah Ayustine,
Defending women's doubles champions Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi won their first round match against Singapore's Ong Re-ne-Crystal Woing Jia Ying 21-12, 21-18.
Malaysia's Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei came back from a set down to get past Thailand's seventh seeds Puttita Supajirakul-Taerattanachai 13-21, 21-18, 21-19.
In the mixed doubles China's top seeds Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen were given a fright by India's Pranaav Jerry Chopra-N. Sikki Reddy before prevailing 21-15, 14-21,21-16.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS (SELECTED)
Men's Singles
Chou Tien Chen (Tpe) beat Niluka Karunaratne (Sri) 21-19, 21-16
Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (Tha) beat Ryan Ng Zin Rei (SGP) 21-13, 16-21, 21-14
Ihsan Maulana Mustofa (Ina) beat Zulfadli Zulkifli (Mas) 21-14, 16-21, 21-15
Kenta Nishimoto (Jpn) beat Tommy Sugiarto (Ina) 21 -14, 21 - 9
Hsu Jen Hao (Tpe) beat Hu Yun (Hkg) 21-13, 21-14
Ajay Jayaram (Ind) beat Tian Houwei (Chn) 21-18, 18-21, 21-19
Chen Long (Chn) beat Ros Leonard Pedrosa (Phi) 21-11, 21-4
Son Wan-ho (Kor) beat Nguyen Tien Minh (Vie) 21-16, 21-9
Chong Wei Feng (mas) beat Lin Yu Hsien (Tpe) 16-21, 21-14, 21-13
Vincent Wong Wing Ki (Hkg) beat Kanta Tsuneyama (Jpn) 21-11, 16-21, 21-14
Lin Dan (Chn) beat Lee Dong Keun (Kor) 21-15, 21-10
Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) beat H.S. Prannoy (Ind) 21-16, 13-21, 21-19
Khosit Phetpradab (Tha) beat Wang Tze Wei (Tpe) 21-11, 21-16
Men's Doubles
Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (Mas) beat Sachin Dias-Buwenaka Goonathileka (Sri) 21 - 12 , 21 - 13
Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen (Chn) beat Bodin Isara-Nipitphon Phuangphuapet (Tha) 21-6, 21-16
Chen Hung-ling-Wang Chi-lin (Tpe) beat Tim Isriyanet-Kittisak Namdash (Tha) 21-16, 21-12
Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe (Jpn) beat Law Cheuk Him-Lee Chun Hei (Hkg) 21-10, 21-10
Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Dipesh Dhami-Ratnajit Tamang (Nep) 21-10, 21-4
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) Liao Kuan Hao-Lu Chia Pin (Tpe) 21-15, 13-21, 21-16
Women's Singles
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat Nguyen Thuy Linh (Vie) 21-10, 21-8
Sayaka Sato (Jpn) beat Saina Nehwal (Ind) 19-21, 21-16, 21-18
P.V. Sindhu (Ind) beat Dinar Dyah Ayustine (Ina) 21-8, 21-18
He Bingjiao (Chn) beat Kim Hyo-min (Kor) 17-21, 21-15, 21-14
Chen Yufei (Chn) beat Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Tha) 21-13, 21-13
Aya Ohori (Jpn) beat Sarah Joy Barredo (Phi) 21-13, 21-3
Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) beat Chiang Mei Hui (Tpe) 21-11, 21-16
Soniia Cheah (Mas) beat Soraya Aghaeihajiagha (Iri) 21-10, 21-7
Women's Doubles
Ng Wing Yung-Yuen Sin Ying (Hkg) beat Lim Yin Loo-Yap Cheng Wen (Mas) 21-12, 14-21, 21-18
Huang Dongping-Li Yinhui (Chn) beat Chwo Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (Mas) 21-9, 21-16
Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) beat Puttita Supajarikul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) 13-21, 21-18, 21-19
Chae Yoon-jung-Kim So-yeong (Kor) beat Ashwinin Ponnappa-N. Sikki Reddy (Ind) 22-20, 21-16
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