Badminton: Sad end for Koo-Tan, all other M'sians safely through to semi-finals
News 9:25 AM
PETALING JAYA: Good fortune for Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif continued in the Super Series Masters Finals when they made it to the semi-finals.
But it was a sad end for defending champions Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong at the Bandaraya Stadium in Johor Baru yesterday.
And in the three other events, Lee Chong Wei, Wong Mew Choo and Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty showed their prowess by emerging as the group winners in the men’s singles, women’s singles and doubles respectively.
But suspense for Malaysia was in the men’s doubles with both Fairuzizuan-Zakry and Kien Keat-Bong Heong having to win their matches in straight games to stay alive.
Fairuzizuan-Zakry showed great determination to beat Indonesians Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan 21-13, 21-13 in just 24 minutes in their final Group A match.
But world No. 1 Kien Keat-Boon Heong were not at their best and crashed to a 7-21, 21-16, 12-21 defeat by Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen of China in 44 minutes.
The Chinese emerged as the group winners with an unbeaten record ahead of Fairuzizuan-Zakry.
Wong Mew Choo In the semi-finals today, Fairuzizuan-Zakry will take on South Koreans Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae while Zhengdong-Xu Chen will be up against Denmark’s Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe.
Zakry said that they would give their best shots to win the title to make up for the early elimination of their compatriots.
“The stakes were high today and we managed to keep our emotions in check throughout the match,” he said.
“Fairuzizuan and I are lucky for the second time in this tournament. First, we got in because the other pairs withdrew. Then, we made it even though we lost one match (against Zhengdong-Xu Chen on Thursday).
“Hopefully, our strokes of good fortune will continue against Yong-dae-Jae-sung. The odds will be against us as we have not beaten them before.
“We will try our best to keep the title in Malaysia’s hands following the exit of Koo and Tan. It had been a hectic schedule of four back-to-back tournaments (Opens in Denmark, France, Hong Kong and China) for them before the Masters Finals and their defeat is understandable.”
World No. 1 Chong Wei showed no mercy in a 21-13, 21-11 win over Bao Chunlai of China in just 22 minutes and he will play against Dane Peter-Gade Christensen for a place in the final.
Malaysia also have a good chance to have finalists in both the women’s events for the first time.
Mew Choo will take on Yao Jie of Holland today while Eei Hui-Pei Tty should get past Thailand’s Duang Anong Aroonkesorn-V. Kunchala.
MEN’S SINGLES
Group A: Hsieh Yu-hsin (Tpe) bt Taufik Hidayat (Ina) 21-17, 21-15; Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Bao Chunlai (Chn) 21-13, 21-11.
Group B: Peter-Gade Christensen (Den) bt Boonsak Ponsana (Tha) 21-13, 20-22, 21-15; Jan O Jorgsen (Den) bt Park Sung-hwan (Kor) 21-19, 21-13.
MEN’S DOUBLES
Group A: Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif (Mas) bt Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan (Ina) 21-13, 21-13; Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen (Chn) bt Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) 21-7, 16-21, 21-12.
Group B: Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan (Ina) bt Anthony Clark-Nathan Robertson (Eng) 21-16, 21-18; Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae (Kor) bt Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) 21-16, 21-16.
WOMEN’S SINGLES
Group A: Saina Nehwal (Ind) bt Porntip Buranaprasertsuk (Tha) 21-13, 21-19; Wong Mew Choo (Mas) bt Charmaine Reid (Can) 21-6, 21-13.
Group B: Yao Jie (Ned) bt Nicole Grether (Ger) 21-18, 21-15; Salakjit Ponsana (Tha) bt Juliane Schenk (Ger) 22-20, 9-21, 23-21.
WOMEN’S DOUBLES
Group A: Kamilla Rytter Juhl-Lena-Frier Kristensen (Den) bt Charmaine Reid-Nicole Grether (Can-Ger) 21-10, 21-7; Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty (Mas) bt Gabrielle White-Jenny Wallowrk (Eng) 21-17, 21-13.
Group B: Laura Choinet-Weny Rahmawati (Fra) bt Chou Chia-chi-Chang Hsin-yun (Tpe) 15-21, 23-21, 21-18; Cheng Wen-hsing-Chien Yu-chin (Tpe) bt Duang Anong Aroonkesorn-V. Kunchala (Tha) 21-10, 21-13.
MIXED DOUBLES
Group A: Robert Mateusiak-Nadiezda Kistiuczyk (Pol) bt Sudket Prapakamol-T. Saralee (Tha) 21-12, 21-16; Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) bt Ko Sung-hyun-Ha Jung-eun (Kor) 21-17, 21-15.
Group B: Anthony Clark-Donna Kellogg (Eng) bt Hendra Gunawan-Vita Marissa (Ina) 21-15, 16-21, 21-15; V. Diju-Jwala Gutta (Ind) bt A. Songphon-V. Kunchala (Tha) 21-12, 21-8.
Men’s singles: Peter-Gade Christensen (Den) vs Lee Chong Wei (Mas); Park Sung-hwan (Kor) vs Bao Chunlai (Chn).
Men’s doubles: Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae (Kor) vs Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (Mas); Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe (Den) vs Guo Zhengdong-Xu Chen (Chn).
Women’s singles: Wong Mew Choo (Mas) vs Yao Jie (Ned); Saina Nehwal (Ind) vs Juliane Schenk (Ger)
Women’s doubles: Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty (Mas) vs Duang Anong Aroonkesorn-V. Kunchala (Tha); Cheng Wen-hsing-Chien Yu-chin (Tpe) vs Kamilla Rytter Juhl-Lena-Frier Kristensen (Den).
Mixed doubles: Robert Mateusiak-Nadiezda Kistiuczyk (Pol) vs V. Diju-Jwala Gutta (Ind); Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) vs Anthony Clark-Donna Kellogg (Eng).
(Note: The first session of semi-final play will begin at 10am and followed with the second at 5pm)
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 9:25 AM.
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