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World Championships silver medallist Taufik Hidayat crashed out but it was in the men’s doubles that saw some surprise results after the first round of the YONEX Japan Open Super Series in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Taufik was a 21-18, 21-23, 19-21 casualty to Sho Sasaki’s aggressive game while Kenichi Tago also brightened up the host’s expectations with an emphatic three game win over Malaysia’s former All England champion Hafiz Hashim.
Tago, runner up at the All England this year, dropped the first game 16-21 but eventually wrapped up the match in the next two games, 21-13, 21-12.
In other men’s singles matches, there were no major upsets with World No 1 Lee Chong Wei, three-time world champion Lin Dan, No 2 seed Peter Gade and China Masters runner up, Chen Long, all safely through to the second round.
Chong Wei, who skipped last week’s China Masters to recuperate from a back injury, was devastating in his 21-5, 21-9 demolition of India’s R.M.V Gurusaidutt while Lin Dan was also clinical in his 21-12, 21-13 win over Thai youngster Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk.
In the second round, Chong Wei will take on Tago while Lin Dan will play teammate Hu Yun who beat Korea’s Shon Wan Ho in the first round.
In the men’s doubles, it was a good day in the office for Malaysia’s doubles pairs with Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong and Chan Peng Soon-Lim Khim Wah continuing to impress on the international stage.
Mak-Tan beat China Masters runners up Ko Sung Hyun-Yoo Yeon Seong in straight games, taking just 30 minutes to register their 21-16, 21-14 win to check into Round 2.
Not to be outdone, Chan-Lim, who made it to the semi-finals of last week’s China Masters, stunned No 3 seeds Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen from Denmark in three games. The Malaysians won 18-21, 21-19, 21-10.
Chan-Lim’s compatriots Koo Kien Keat-Tan boon Heong, top seeds, also qualified for the second round after they beat Japan’s Shohei Hoshino-Akira Kobayashi 21-14, 21-16.
Another big result in the men’s doubles was the loss of Korea’s No 1 pair, Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae.
The Koreans were ousted by Thailand' Songphon Anugritayawon-Sudket Prapakamol 22-20, 21-13.
