Top four mixed doubles seeds advance, surprises in qualifiers
WUHAN: Topseeds Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei and second ranked Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir led the charge form their respective countries into the second round of the Badminton Asia Championship here today.
Fourth-seeded South Korean aces, Ko Sung Hyun-Kim Ha Na, were also in the fray as they led three other pairs from their country into the next round.
This means China, Indonesia and South Korea all have four representatives each in the second round which takes place tomorrow.
While the men's singles, doubles and women's doubles had their qualifying rounds, the mixed doubles competition got underway today. There was no qualifying for the women's doubles.
No.1 ranked Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei, who just won the China Masters last weekend, did not raise a sweat as they had a first round bye and will be fresh when they take on Malaysians Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing tomorrow.
The Chinese pairs to win their matches today were Xu Chen-Ma Jin, third-seeded Liu Cheng-Bao Yixin and Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong.
Indonesia's other pairs in the running are Ronald Alexander-Melati Daeva Oktaviani, Edi Subaktiar-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja and Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto.
Apart from Sung Hyun-Ha Na, the other South Korean mixed doubles pairs still in the running are Kim Gi Jung-Shin Seung Chan, Shin Baek Cheol-Chae Yoo Jung
and Solgyu Choi-Eom Hye Won.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's 16-year-old world junior women's singles champion, Goh Jin Wei served up a surprise when she survived the qualifying rounds today to make it through to the main draw.
Jin Wei defeated Singaporean Chen Jiayuan 21-10, 21-6 in 22 minutes and Sri Lankan Lekha Shehani 21-11, 21-16 to earn her place in the main draw.
The young Malaysian will face Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in first round tomorrow. And should she clear the first hurdle, she is likely to meet topseed Li Xuerui.
The qualifying round sprang some other surprises with players from Jordan advancing to the men's singles and men's doubles events. Bahaedeen Ahmad Alshannik qualified for the main draw of the singles and later teamed up with Mohd Naser Mansour Nayef to make the cut for the doubles.
Kazakhstan's Artur Niyazov and Amrullo Bakhshullaev-Artyom-Savatyugin from Uzbekistan also graduated from the qualifying rounds to make the main draw.
The following are the players who have made it through the qualifying round and will feature in the main draw tomorrow:
Men's singles
Artur Niyazov (Kaz)
Bahaedeen Ahmad Alshannik (Jor)
Khosit Phetpradab (Tha)
Loh Kean Yew (Sin)
Women's singles
Goh Jin Wei (Mas)
Ho Yen Mei (Mas)
Fitriani Fitriani (Ina)
Ngueyn Thuy Linh (Vie)
Men's doubles
Amrullo Bakhshullaev-Artyom-Savatyugin (Uzb)
Minh Bao-Bao Duc Duong (Vie)
Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Hendra Wijaya (Ina)
Bahaedeen Ahmad Alshannik-Mohd Naser Mansour Nayef (Jor)
