YONEX-SUNRISE BWF WORLD SUPER SERIES 2009 - Park, Guo-Xu throw semis race wide open

Posted by Lucas Liau News 9:27 AM

After winning his opener against fellow Dane Jan Jorgensen on Wednesday, the coast was supposed to be clear for Gade to qualify for the last four. But Park, obviously, was intent on rewriting the script.

The Korean adapted better to the draft in the stadium to score an emphatic three game win over Gade, taking one hour to dispose the Dane 21-12, 7-21, 21-15.

The win also means that the Korean now leads Group B, having beaten Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana on Wednesday.

Ponsana, however, remained in the running for a semi-final berth after he beat Jorgensen 21-9, 21-18.

On Friday, Gade will play Boonsak while Park will take on Jorgensen. The top two winners in each group progress to the semi-finals.

“This is the best I’ve seen him (Park) play and all credit to him on his win,” said Gade.

“There was some draft in the stadium and it was difficult to adapt. And then in the third game, the gap was too wide for me to chase.

“But to qualify for the semi-finals, you need to win at least two matches, and that has not changed.”

In the men’s doubles, top seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were left facing a must-win situation against Indonesia’s Rian Sukmawan-Yonathan Dasuki later tonight following their compatriot’s loss against Guo Zhendong-Xu Chen.

Koo-Tan, who lost to Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari on Wednesday, play Indonesia’s Rian Sukmawan-Yonathan Dasuki in the evening session.

Zakry-Fairuzizuan, however, were left rueing their misfortune after the loss.

“We now have to start all over again,” said Zakry after their 21-18, 21-17 loss to the Chinese.

“We were too eager to go for the kill and made several unforced errors. And when they caught up, we did not keep our composure and ultimately paid the price.”

Zakry-Fairuzizuan wrap up their preliminary campaign against Rian-Yonathan on Friday while Koo-Tan play Guo-Xu.

Results:

Men’s singles: Group B: Park Sung Hwan (KOR) bt Peter Gade (DEN) 21-12, 7-21, 21-15; Boonsak Ponsana (THA) bt Jan Jorgensen (DEN) 21-9, 21-18; Women’s singles: Group A: Saina Nehwal (IND) bt Charmaine Reid (CAN) 21-14, 21-9; Group B: Juliane Schenk (GER) bt Yao Jie (NED) 21-13, 21-10; Salakjit Ponsana (THA) bt Nicole Grether (GER) 21-17, 21-7; Men’s doubles: Group A: Gua Zhendong-Xu Chen (CHN) bt Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari (MAS) 21-18, 21-17; Group B: Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae (KOR) bt Alvent Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan (INA) 21-19, 21-19; Women’s doubles: Group B: Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin (TPE) bt Laura Choinet-Weny Rahmawati (FRA) 21-9, 21-17; Mixed doubles: Group A: Robert Mateusiak-Nadiezda Kostiuczk (POL) bt Ko Sung Hyun-Ha Jung Eun (KOR) 22-20, 21-13; Group B: Anthony Clark-Donna Kellogg (ENG) bt Songphon Anugritayawon-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (THA) 18-21, 21-16, 21-12.