Picture Credit : Zimbo.com
Three seeded pairs – including Rio Olympics silver medallists Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong of Malaysia were sent crashing out in the second round in the USD300,000 Yonex Japan Open in Tokyo on Thursday.
The Malaysians, seeded No 5, fell to a straight sets 23-21, 21-12 defeat at the hands of China's Huang Kaixiang-Wang Yilyu in 36 minutes at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Japan's top pair Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa, seeded No 4, were also shown the exit by their unseeded compatriots Hiroyuki Saeki-Ryota Taohata – losing 13-21, 23-25 in 43 minutes.
Another rising Japanese pair Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda gave the home fans plenty to cheer with a 21-18, 21-18 win over sixth seeded Danish pair Mads Conrad Petersen-Mads Pieler Kolding.
Top seeds Chai Biao-Hong Wei of China were knocked out in the first round by unheralded German pair Mark Lamsfuss-Marvin Emil Seidel. The Germans however failed to keep their momentum in the second round, losing to Taiwan's Lee Jhe-huei-Lee Yang 21-9, 24-22.
Meanwhile in the men's singles top seed and world No 1 Lee Chong Wei – a five time winner of the Japan Open – continued his impressive form when he crushed Chinese qualifier Qiao Bin 21-8, 21-16 in 39 minutes.
In the quarter-finals Chong Wei will face another Chinese hurdle in Shi Yuqi. Shi Yuqi who came through the qualifying rounds continued his winning run in Tokyo when he came back from a set down to beat Hong Kong's Angus Ng Ka Lomng 10-21, 21-12, 21-15.
Denmark's hopes Viktor Axelsen (seeded No 2) and Jan O Jorgensen (seeded No 3), also marched into the quarter-finals. Rio Olympics bronze medallist Axelsen stopped India's H.S. Prannoy 21-16, 21-19 while Jorgensen came off 21-14, 21-13 winner over Korean Lee Dong-keun.
Eighth seed K. Srikanth, however, kept India's flag flying when compatriot Ajay Jayaram retired in the second set through injury after the former won the first set 21-16.
Also in the quarter-finals are Germany's Marc Zwiebler, Korea's Son Wan-ho and Thai qualifier Khosit Phetpradap. Khosit dumped last year's semi-finalist and No 5 seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan 13-21, 21-15, 21-17.
In the women's singles Japanese fans will be divided in their support when defending champion Nozomi Okuhara (seeded No 2) and sixth seed Akane Yamaguchi meet in the quarter-finals in a repeat of last year's final.
Nozomi, who won the bronze in Rio, defeated China's Chen Yufei 21-13, 21-16 while Akane outplayed Bulgaria's Linda Zetchiri 21-11, 21-13 in their second round matches.
Thailand's former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, seeded third, stayed on course for her fourth title this year, when she packed off Minatsu Mitani 21-11, 21-10 in 34 minutes and will play China's He Bingjiao for a place in the semifinals. The Chinese beat Japan's Natsuki Nidaira 21-19, 21-16.
History making Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi, the world No 1 and top seeds, demolished Taiwan's Chiang Kai-hsin-Hung Shih-han 21-7, 21-15 in 31 minutes to earn a crack at semi-finals against Thailand's Jongkolphan Kititharukul-Rawinda.
The Thais ripped through the Dutch pair of Eelfe Muskens-Selena Piek 21-18, 21-14 in 40 minutes.
Malaysia's Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei, seeded No 8, stayed alive after a tough match against Japan's Miki Kashihara-Miyuki Kato. They had to come from behind to win 19-21, 21-16, 21-17 in a 58 minute match.
The Olympians face a tough hurdle against the experienced Olympic silver medallists Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl. The No 2 seeds from Denmark beat Japan's Yuki Fukishima-Sayaka Hirota 21-16, 21-15.
In the mixed doubles top seeds Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na of Korea defeated Japan's Yuki Kaneko-Kohary Yonemoto 21-15, 21-16.
RESULTS (SECOND ROUND)
Men's singles
Lee Chong Wei (Mas) beat Qiao Bin (Chn) 21-8, 21-16
Shi Yuqi (Chn) beat Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 10-21. 21-12, 21-15
Marc Zwiebler (Ger) beat Hsu Jen-hao (Tpe) 21-14, 21-18
K. Srikanth (Ind) beat Ajay Jayaram (Ind) 21-16, 0-0 (rtd)
Khosit Phetpradap (Tha) beat Chou Tien-chen (Tpe) 13-21, 21-15, 21-17
Jan O Jorgensen (Den) beat Lee Dong-keun (Kor) 21-14, 21-13
Son Wan-ho (Kor) beat Lee Hyun-ll (Kor) 21-13, 21-8
Viktor Axelsen (Den) beat H.S. Prannoy (Ind) 21-16, 21-19
Men's doubles
Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) beat Chen Hung-ling-Wang Ch-lin (Tpe0 21-11, 16-21, 21-17
Hiroyuki Saeki-Ryota Taohata (Jpn) beat Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn) 21-13, 25-23
Lee Jhe-huei-Lee Yang (Tpe) beat Mark Lamsfuss-Marvin Emil Seidel (Ger) 21-9, 24-22
Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen (Chn) beat Takuto Inoue-Yuki Kaneko (Jpn) 15-21, 21-18, 21-9
Kim Gi-jung-Ko Sung-hyun (Kor) beat Kenya Mitsuhashi-Yuta Watanabe (Jpn) 21-17, 21-5
Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) beat Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) 18-21, 21-16, 21-12
Huang Kaixiang-Wang Yilyu (Chn) beat Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) 23-21, 21-12
Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Mads Conrad Petersen-Mads Pieler Kolding (Den) 21-18, 21-18
Women's singles
Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) beat Linda Zetchiri (Bul) 21-11, 21-13
Sun Yu (Chn) beat Chisato Hoshi (Jpn) 22-20, 21-9
He Bingjiao (Chn) beat Natsuki Nidaira (Jpn) 21-19, 21-16
Sayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Sayaka Sato (Jpn) 21-17, 21-9
Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) beat Minatsu Mitani (Jpn) 21-11, 21-10
Aya Ohori (Jpn) beat Cheung Ngan-yi (Hkg) 21-17, 16-21, 21-10
Ayumi Mine (Jpn) beat Kaori Imabeppu (Jpn) 21-16, 21-9
Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) beat Chen Yufei (Chn) 21-13, 21-16
Women's doubles
Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Chaing Kai-hsin-Hung Shih-han (Tpe) 21-7, 21-15
Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) beat Maiken Fruergaard-Sara Thygesen (Den) 21-13, 21-15
Shiho Tanaka-Koharu Yonemoto (Jpn) beat Rira Kawashima-Saori Ozaki (Jpn) 21-16, 21-15
Shizuka Matsao-Mami Naito (Jpn) beat Kim Hye-rin-Yoo Hae-won (Kor) 21-13, 21-13
Puttita Supajirakul- Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) beat Ou Dongni-Yu Xiaohan (Chn) 21-13, 21-16
Jongkolphan Kititharukul-Rawinda Prajongkai (Tha) beat Eefje Muskens-Selena Piek (Ned) 21-18, 21-14
Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) beat Yuki Fukuman-Sayaka Hirota (Jpn) 21-16, 21-15
Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) beat Miki Kashihara-Miyuki Kato (Jpn) 19-21, 21-16, 21-17
Mixed doubles
Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na (Kor) beat Yuki Kaneko-Koharu Yonemoto (Jpn) 21-15, 21-16
Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (Mas) beat Jacco Arends -Selena Piek (Ned) 21-13, 21-19
Nipitphon Phuangpuapech-Jongkolphon Kititharukul (Tha) beat Huang Kaixiang-Yu Xiaohan (Chn) 21-13, 18-21, 21-16
Phuavaranukroh Dechapol-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) beat Reginald Lee Chun Hei-Chau Hoi-wah (Hkg) 21-16, 21-23, 21-12
Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) beat Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino (Jpn) 21-17, 21-15
Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) beat Liao Min-chun-Chen Hsiao Huan (Tpe) 11-21, 21-8, 21-14
Zheng Siwei-Cheng Qingchen (Chn) beat Soren Gravholt-Maiken Fruergaard (Den) 21-18, 21-13
Kim Gi-jung-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) beat Kenta Kazuno-Ayane Kurihara (Jpn) 21-13, 21-15
