Defending Champion Intanon Crashes Out of BCA Indonesia Open Saina & Marin into Round-2

The BCA Indonesia Open is 5th out of 12 BWF World Super-series events, from where the top 8 players/pairs will qualify for the season-ending Dubai World Super-series Finals in December 2016. Women’s singles defending champion Ratchanok Intanon fell in her first round match against China’s Sun Yu but India’s Saina Nehwal and tournament top seed Carolina Marin won their opening matches to land themselves in pre-quarterfinal rounds. Saina got past Taiwan’s Pai Yu Po in three games while Spaniard Marin had an easy victory over Indonesia’s Hera Desi. Among women, the Chinese strong trio of Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian also joined Saina and Marin in the second round. In men’s singles draw, India’s Sameer Verma lost to Malaysian super-star Lee Chong Wei but men and women’s doubles pairs from India registered first-round victories. Manu Attri/B Sumeeth Reddy defeated Filipinos Peter Gabriel Magnaye/Alvin Morada and Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponnappa needed three games before overcoming Indonesians Fabriana Kusuma/Ribka Sugiarto. The other more famous Sugiarto, Tommy was shocked in the first round by Hong Kong’s Wei Nan while top seeded Chen Long of China allowed a walk-over for Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro.

Saina Nehwal is a popular figure in Indonesia evidenced by a huge local support for her in the match against Taiwan’s Pai Yu Po. The Indian began in style by taking the first game 21-11 but the Taiwanese bounced back in the second game to force a decider by winning at 21-19. However as the third game went into long rallies, Saina controlled proceedings to outlast Po at 21-11, 19-21, 21-15. Of other Indian entries in BCA Indonesia Open, men’s singles player Sameer Verma was no match for Malaysia’s no.2 seed Lee Chong Wei, going down 11-21, 13-21 in 35 minutes. However, India’s men’s doubles team of Manu Attri/B Sumeeth Reddy defeated Philippines’ Peter Gabriel Magnaye/Alvin Morada 21-13, 21-16 and women’s doubles team of Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponnappa scored a 21-7, 20-22, 21-10 victory over Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Ribka Sugiarto.

The biggest shock in the BCA Indonesia Super-series came with Thailand’s defending champion Ratchanok Intanon losing 15-21, 18.21 to China’s Sun Yu. That brought the Thai woman’s amazing run of three straight Super-series title wins. The top Chinese women’s brigade of Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan and Wang Shixian all won their matches. Li defeated Indonesia’s Ruselli Hartawan 16-21, 21-8, 21-11; Yihan beat Canada’s Michelle Li 21-19, 21-18 and Shixian fought hard against Korea’s Bae Yeon Ju 21-12, 15-21, 21-12.

While Denmark’s 2014 mixed doubles winners Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna Pedersen won 21-17, 21-19 against tough Chinese pair of Zheng Siwei/Chen Qingchen; the greatest cheer for Denmark was reserved for Carsten Mogensen, who made a sensational comeback to competitive badminton after a long lay-off forced upon him by a brain surgery in February. Playing a men’s doubles match with Mathias Boe, the Danish pair beat China’s Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen 21-16 22-20. There was another intriguing contest involving a Dane on Wednesday. In the repeat of their Thomas Cup final match, Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen held off the challenge from Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting. Egged on by locals, Ginting fought brilliantly before going down 20-22, 23-25.

In other notable results over the first two days, five Chinese pairs entered the second round, including Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei, who defeated Malaysia’s Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying 21-18, 21-17. In men’s singles, Chinese legend Lin Dan played below par and needed three games before defeating Malaysia’s Zulfadli Zulkiffli 16-21, 21-18. 21-16. Lin Dan has never won the Indonesia Open but he would like to add this title to several, he has won in his long career. Home heroes in men’s doubles, Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan were pushed to a corner by Hong Kong’s Or Chin Chung/Tang Chun Man. The HK stars were boosted by their win over the Indonesians in Thomas Cup but Ahsan/Setiawan fought back from an 11-17 deficit in the second game to register a 23-21, 25-23 victory. However, local fans were disappointed with the loss of no.8 seed Tommy Sugiarto, who suffered a 16-21, 14-21 first-round loss against Hong Kong’s Wei Nan. Other men’s singles seeds falling in first round were the two Danes, Viktor Axelsen and Thomas Cup hero Hans-Kristian Vittinghus. No.4 seeded Axelsen retired in the third game against China’s Huang Yuxiang when the scores read 16-21, 21-16, 8-4 and Vittinghus lost 21-18, 23-25, 22-24 to another Chinese Wang Zhengming after a 71-minute battle.