Injuries and withdrawals saw Japan's Takuma Ueda being promoted from the qualifiers to the main draw in the on-going USD700,000 Thaihot China Open Superseries Premier in Fuzhou.And the 27-year-old Ueda has made the best of the opportunity that came knocking his way and has booked a place in Friday's quarter-finals after clearing the first two hurdles.
In the first round on Wednesday he upset Denmark Open champion Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk with a rather easy 21-14, 21-13 win in 43 minutes. In the second round on Thursday the World No 52 ranked player whipped World No 14 Marc Zwiebler of Germany 21-17, 21-18 in a 50-minute match for a place in the last eight.
His reward is a quarter-final clash against third seed and Rio Olympics bronze medallist Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. The 22-year-old Dane, ranked No 4 in the world packed off Hong Kong's Hu Yun 21-15, 21-18 in the second round. Axelsen is the 2010 world junior champion.
His win over the Zwiebler in Fuzhou takes Ueda's head to head count to 2-0, having beaten the German 18-21, 21-13, 21-19 in the All-England in 2013.
For the quarter-final match against the lanky Viktor the head to head count reads 1-1 with the Dane winning 21-11, 21-10 at the 2014 French Open. Ueda won 24-22, 21-17 at the 2013 World Championships.
Putting Ueda's good run in Fuzhou aside, Rio Olympic champion and second Seed Chen Long is also the quarter-finals with a 21-16, 21-13 win over compatriot Shi Yuqi. Chen Long will face India's Ajay Jayaram – 20-22, 21-19, 21-12 winner over Hong Kong's Wei Nan.
Malaysia's Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin once again showed his fighting qualities to with another come-from-behind 7-21, 21-6, 23-21 win over China's Guo Kai. Standing in the way from a place in the semi-finals is Korea Open champion Qiao Bin of China. The Chinese defeated India's H.S. Prannoy.
No 3 seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark made short work of England's Rajiv Ouseph for 21-17, 21-13 win. He next plays No 5 seed Tian Houwei of China who outplayed Hong Kong's Vincent Wong Wing Ki 21-15, 21-13.
Meanwhile, in the men's doubles top seeds Chai Biao-Hong Wei tamed compatriots Lu Kai-Zheng Siwei 21-14, 21-17 while Liu Cheng-Zhang Nan overcame Or Chin Chung-Tang Chun Man 21-14, 24-22 in another all-China encounter.
Indonesian seventh seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo beat the English pair of Marcus Ellis-Chris Langridge 21-16, 21-13 in 46 minutes.
However, the biggest upset was in the women's singles when China's unseeded pair Huang Dongping-Li Yinhui dumped World No 1 and Rio Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo-Ayak Takahashi in a marathon 96 minute encounter with 14-21, 22-20, 22-20 in a closely fought match.
Malaysia's hope Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei were bundled out of the tournament when they lost to Korean second seeds Jung Kyung-eun-Shin Seung-chan in a three-set encounter. The Koreans won 21-23, 21-14, 21-13 in a 74-minute match.
SECOND ROUND RESULTS
Men's singles
Viktor Axelsen (Den) beat Hu Yun (Hkg) 21-15, 21-18
Qiao Bin (Chn) beat H. S. Prannoy (Ind) 21-17, 21-19
Chen Long (Chn) beat Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-16, 21-13
Ajay Jayaram (Ind) beat Wei Nan (Hkg) 20-22, 21-19, 21-12
Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin (Mas) beat Guo Kai (Chn) 7-21, 21-6, 23-21
Jan O Jorgensen (Den) beat Rajiv Ouseph (Eng) 21-17, 21-13
Tian Houwei (Chn) beat Vincent Wong Wing Ki (Hkg) 21-15, 21-13
Takuma Ueda (Jpn) beat Marc Zwiebler (Ger) 21-17, 21-18
Men's doubles
Liu Ceng-Zhang Nan (Chn) beat Or Chin Chung-Tang Chung Man (Chn) 21-14, 24-22
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) beat Marcus Ellis-Chris Langridge (Eng) 21-16, 21-13
Chai Biao-Hong Wei (Chn) beat Lu Kai-Zheng Siwei (Chn) 21-14, 21-17
Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) Lee Jhe-Huei0Lee Yang (Tpe) 21-16, 21-7
Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Den) beat Law Cheuk Him-Reginald Lee Chun Hei (Hkg) 21-16, 21-18
Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) beat Yu Xiaoyu-Zhang Wen (Chn) 18-21, 21-16, 21-17
Women's doubles
Huang Dongping-Li Yinhui (Chn) beat Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) 14-21, 22-20, 22-20
Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) beat Della Destiara Haris-Rosyita Eka Putri Sari (Ina) 21-18, 21-13
Shizuka Matsuo-Mami Naito (Jpn) beat Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawanda Prajongjai (Tha) 21-13, 21-13
Shiho Tanaka-Koharu Yonemoto (Jpn) beat Naoko Fukuman-Kurumi Yonoa (Jpn) 21-9, 17-21, 21-14
Jung Kyung-eun-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) beat Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) 21-23, 21-14, 21-13.
