BWF WORLD SUPER SERIES - YONEX FRENCH OPEN 2009: Lin Dan looking for first title in Paris

He’s never visited Paris before the tournament switched from its satellite status to a Super Series event, and, in his only journey back in 2007, he had been beaten in the semi-final by his compatriot Bao Chunlai. He then skipped the 2008 edition right after the Olympics, which means success in France has, so far, eluded him.

“I am here to win, as I now play each tournament as if it was my first one. It’s a new beginning each time”. This is how Lin Dan finds his motivation, after winning the Olympics, Three world crowns, and, more recently, his second National China Games individual title.

But no French Open – one of the only titles he’s never won in his career. “I like it here. If I can, I will come back every year, especially in the World Championships next year. I like the French food – the sea food mainly – the Champs Elysees and the brands everywhere, even if I am not fan of a particular brand,” he said after his first match – which launched the official main draw of the French Open.

He has come to Paris, the city of romance, for the first time without his girlfriend Xie Xingfang, who has stopped her career a fortnight ago. On Wednesday morning, he spent little time against a player who is no stranger to pulling of upset wins, Anup Sridhar.

However, the match ended in 26 minutes, 21/13 – 21/9. Lin will now take on Denmark’s Hans Kristian Vitthingus who outplayed France’s top player Brice Leverdez in three games. He could focus on either Joachim Persson – who had trouble getting through his first round against Chetan Anand of India, and Simon Santoso, recent winner of the Denmark Open.

Bao Chunlai, Chen Jin and Chen Long also secured rather easy wins, but Taufik Hidayat had a lot more trouble against a very strong fighter Carl Baxter. The Indonesian took three games and was just able to overcome his opponent in the last parts of the first and third games.

Apart from that, it was all even, but as Baxter mentioned after the game in a very sportsman like manner : “He was just better in the end, he was playing at a speed I couldn’t follow. Even after a dubious call at 16/15 in the last game, Baxter felt his opponent deserved the win in spite of everything.

“Even if it had been 16/16,I don’t know if it would have changed anything as we were at the same stage in the first game and he still won,” added Baxter.

For Taufik, his slow start is nothing new : “I am a slow starter in most tournaments, and he played well today. But I feel like I have a fairly good draw until the quarter-finals, so I hope I can capitalise on that. And after I really hope that I can make it as far as the final like last year,” hinted the former Olympic Champion, who stands in Peter Gade’s way for an expected mouth watering semi-final.

The main upset of the day was England’s Rajiv Ouseph who stunned Hong Kong’s Chan Yan Kit in three hard fought games, while Jan Jorgensen was shown the exit by Japan’s Kenichi Tago.

What everybody was hoping for was the first match of the home hero Pi Hongyan , but for those who had seen her play in Denmark were fearing a first round outing against the in-form Japanese Eriko Hirose.

None of that happened and the 30 year old Chinese born French played the perfect match against her Japanese opponent. Playing long, attacking wisely, Pi was too strong for a player she’s never lost to, but always had to struggle against.

On Wednesday, it was a done deal in 37 minutes and 21/10 – 21/14. “I had prepared for a much longer fight, and watched videos very carefully. I had always beaten her and maybe it was a big psychological boost today, but I must admit that I was a bit nervous as I hadn’t played well at all lately, so it is a relief to be able to perform that well today,” said Pi.

She is to play her good friend Anu Weckstrom from Finland in the next round : “On court, there is no friendship anymore, it’s like a war even if we’re good friends off court. And I’ll be aware as Anu can play really well – she’s beaten me before,” hinted Pi, who hasn’t even looked at any further in the draw.

Ahead, however, lies the shadow of Wang Shixian, who beat Elisabeth Cann of England and will meet Olga Konon in the second round for a tricky match. All top seeds came through to the second round with Lu Lan having to fight three long games against Japan’s Ai Goto.

Koo Kien Keat and Wong Pei Tty were obviously not surprised by their quick win over England’s Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork one of Europe’s best potential pairs. But in that 21/11 – 21/11 victory, they showed that their renewed partnership is slowly picking up again, one year after they left it there in the very same French Open, where they had reached the semi-finals – they had beaten the same English pair on route to this good performance, along with Denmark’s Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl.

Since then, not much chances were given to Kien Keat-Pei Tty as they had switched partners : Wong Pei Tty had played with Lim Khim Wah and then another try out with Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari. And now, back with Koo.

“It is going to take a bit of time to get used to each other’s game again after so long, but the thing is that we play quite relaxed and with no pressure for this year,” said Wong. “We haven’t set any targets for ourselves, and it helps being more relaxed on court.

England’s Dean George-Andrew Ellis also made it through thanks to the no-show from China’s Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng. However, there will be three Chinese pairs in the second round, with an impressive win from Guo Zhendong and Xie Zhongbo over Gan Teik Chai and Tan Bin Shen of Malaysia, 23/21 – 22/20. Only seeds to fall were Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen, gunned down by Muhammad Ahsan and Bona Septano.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 12:40 PM. Filed under News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0