Skip to main content

Chong Wei Survives As Hafiz, Wei Feng Crash Out

NEW DELHI, April 26 (Bernama) -- Datuk Lee Chong Wei was the sole survivor in the Indian Open Badminton Championships as three Malaysian players were shown the exit in the men's singles competition.

Chong Wei, the world number one, playing his first major tournament since suffering a shoulder injury during the All England championships in England, moved into the quarterfinals while Chong Wei Feng and Mohd Hafiz Hashim crashed out.

"Now, everything is okay but I still have a bit of phobia and being careful when I want to smash," he told reporters when asked about his injured shoulder.

Defending champion and the top seed here, Chong Wei dashed the hopes of the local fans by beating Ajay Jayaram (India) 21-16, 15-21, 21-5 in three sets and will face either Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat or China's Wang Zhengming.

"I think he sustained the same focus and intensity throughout the match while I fluctuated. Chong Wei's advantage is also his fitness," said Ajay, when asked on the difference between the way both of them played.

"He moves very well and has the best defence, while I am on the attacking side," he said, adding that he enjoys all the games played against Chong Wei.

Wei Feng lost to Denmark's Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, 13-21, 21-8, 12-21, while Hafiz was crushed 18-21, 15-21 by world number four, Chen Jin of China.

In the men's doubles, Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong cruised through to the quarterfinals with a 21-18, 21-18 win over Japan's Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa.

Kien Keat, no doubt took the limelight, getting loud cheers and applauds when he handled back-to-back smash bouts from the opponent by almost lying down on the court and ended it with a point.

Second men's doubles pair Goh V Shem-Lim Khim Wah also advanced after beating Indonesia's Ahsan Mohammad and Septano Bona, 13-21, 21-19, 21-18.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong will meet Indonesia's Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra while Shem-Khim Wah are expected to meet Indonesia's Alvent Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan in the quarterfinals.

Mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying beat Japan's Noriyasu Hirata-Miyuki Maeda, 21-16, 21-13 to advance and most likely face Thailand's prolific pair Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam in the quarterfinals.

Women's doubles pair Goh-Liu Ying-Lim Yin Loo lost to South Korea's Ha Jung Eun-Kim Min Jung, 21-13, 21-19.

-- BERNAMA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...
2 comments
Read more

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...
1 comment
Read more

Indonesia Choose Komodo Dragon As SEA Games Mascot

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Host for the 26th SEA Games, Indonesia has chosen the Komodo dragon as mascot for the 2011 Games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang from Nov 11 to 25. The Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc), was qouted by Jakarta Post as saying that a pair of Komodo dragons, a male (Modo) and a female (Modi), were chosen in recognition of the Republic's conservation efforts to protect the dwindling number of the rare lizard. Modo and Modi were unveiled last night at a function in Jakarta, to mark the 200-day countdown before the games open on Nov 11 in Palembang. The Komodo dragons, the largest lizard in the world, only live on the Indonesian islands of Komodo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. On Jan 15, Inasoc unveiled its logo, a Garuda eagle, to symbolize the power and grandeur of Indonesia. Indonesia dominated the Games between 1977, when it first competed, and 1997, failing to top the medal charts only twice in that p...
1 comment
Read more