Chilly champ Mia in tough test at Japan Open

Chilly champ Mia in tough test at Japan Open

TOKYO (AFP): Indonesian Mia Audina survived an unexpectedly tough challenge from Japan's Kanako Yonekura yesterday as she continued her defense of her women's singles title at the Yonex Japan Open badminton event.

"I was confident of winning, but it doesn't mean I always win. It was very cold (due to snow outside) and it took some time to get used to the conditions," Mia said at the end of her 12-11, 12-11 third-round victory.

Yonekura, runner-up at Japan's national championships, got off to a flying start, taking an early 7-0 lead over the Atlanta Olympics silver medalist. She went ahead again 4-0 in the second game.

But Mia scrambled back both times, winning all the important points in the 45-minute match, including saving a game point in the second.

"She played well and tenaciously, she hit everything back into my court, but I also played well on the important points because nobody wants to lose a match," Mia said.

Yonekura said: "I think Mia came into the match thinking she would win it easily. That gave me a 7-0 lead. They are not the points I won, she just gave them to me. I learned a lot about how to win an important point."

The women's singles progressed as scheduled, with all the eight seeded players advancing to the quarterfinals.

World champion Ye Zhaoying of China breezed past Dutch player Judith Meulendijks 11-7, 11-2, while Camilla Martin of Denmark was the only European to survive with an 11-6, 11-1 win over Huang Chia-chi of Taiwan.

China's Gong Zhichao, Wang Chen and Dai Yun, and South Korea's Lee Joo-Hyum and Kim Ji-Hyun joined them.

Havoc

Earlier in the day, Malaysian players caused havoc in the men's competition as Yong Hock Kin, Roslin Hashim, Rashid Sidek and Ong Ewe Hock posted big upsets.

Yong shocked Atlanta Olympics gold medalist Poul-Erik Hoyer- Larsen of Denmark 15-12, 15-12, while Hashim scored the biggest upset in his career when he defeated world number three Sun Jun of China 15-6, 18-16.

Unseeded Rashid came from behind to beat joint ninth seed Budi Santoso of Indonesia 12-15, 15-5, 15-2, and Ong, who is also seeded ninth, disposed of another Indonesian, fifth seed Marleve Mainaky, 18-15, 13-15, 15-0.

Liu En-Horng of Taiwan continued his giant-killing run with an 11-15, 15-12, 15-4 win over Indonesian Indra Wijaya.

Top seed Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark and two-time Japan Open champion Hariyanto Arbi of Indonesia advanced safely. Christensen defeated Rikard Magnusson of Sweden 15-6, 15-6, and Hariyanto beat Jeroen van Dijk of the Netherlands 15-10, 15-6.

Results (x denotes seeds)

Men's singles 3rd Rd: Peter Gade Christensen (Den x1) bt Rikard Magnusson (Swe) 15-6, 15-6; Ong Ewe Hock (Mas x9) bt Marleve Mainaky (Ina x5) 18-15, 13-15, 15-0; Roslin Hashim (Mas) bt Sun Jun (Chn x3) 15-6, 18-16 Hariyanto Arbi (Ina x5) bt Jeroen van Dijk (Ned x9) 15-10, 15-6; Luo Yigang (Chn x9) bt Huang Yeu-der (Tpe) 15-8, 15-6; Yong Hock Kin (Mas x9) bt Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Den x3) 15-12, 15-12; Liu En-horng (Tpe) bt Indra Wijaya (Ina x9) 11-15, 15-12, 15-4; Rashid Sidek (Mas) bt Budi Santoso (Ina x9) 12-15, 15-5, 15-2

Women's singles 3rd Rd: Ye Zhaoying (Chn x1) bt Judith Meulendijks (Ned) 11-7, 11-2; Kim Ji-Hyun (Kor x5) bt Miho Tanaka (Jpn) 12-11, 11-5; Camilla Martin (Den x3) bt Huang Chia-chi (Tpe) 11-6, 11-1; Dai Yun (Chn x5) bt Kyoko Komuro (Jpn) 11-2, 11-5; Wang Chen (Chn x5) bt Ng Ching (Hkg) 11-4, 11-8; Mia Audina (Ina x3) bt Kanako Yonekura (Jpn) 12-11, 12-11; Lee Joo-Hyum (Kor x5) bt Hang Jingna (Chn) 11-6, 11-6; Gong Zhichao (Chn x2) bt Takako Ida (Jpn) 11-6, 11-5

Men's doubles 2nd Rd: Wijaya Candra/Budiarto Sigit (Ina x1) bt Keita Masuda/Tadashi Otsuka (Jpn) 15-9, 15-8; Michael Sogaard/Jon Holst-Christensen (Den x5) bt Liu Yong/Zhang Wei (Chn) 18-17, 15-6; Cheah Soon Kit/ Yap Kim Hock (Mas x3) bt Takuya Katayama/Yuzo Kubota (Jpn) 15-4, 15-11; Ha Tae-Kwon/Kim Dong-Moon (Kor x5) bt Norio Imai/Hiroshi Oyama (Jpn) 15-2, 17-14; Jesper Larsen/Jens Eriksen (Den x5) bt Per-Gunnar Jonsson/Peter Axelsson (Swe) 15-7, 15-4; Rexy Mainaky/Ricky Subagja (Ina x3) bt Chew Choon Eng/Lee Chee Leong (Mas) 15-5, 15-6; Antonius/Denny Kantono (Ina x5) bt Lee Wan Wah /Choong Tan Fook (Mas) 18-13, 7-15, 15-8; Yoo Youg-Sung/Lee Dong- Son (Kor x2) bt Pramote Teerawiwatana/Siripong Siripool (Tha) 15- 4, 9-15, 15-2

Women's doubles 2nd Rd: Gu Jun/Ge Fei (Chn x1) bt Masako Sakamoto/Yasuko Mizui (Jpn) 15- 1, 15-1; Yoshiko Iwata/Haruko Matsuda (Jpn x5) bt Junko; Yamada/ Yumi Akashi (Jpn) 15-6, 15-9; Zelin Reshiana/Eliza (Ina x3) bt Gong Ruina/Ye Zhaoying (Chn) 15-10, 15-14; Rikke Olsen/Marlene Thomsen (Den x5) bt Joane Goode/Donna Kellogg (Eng) 15-3, 15-4; Huang Nanyan/Liu Zhong (Chn x5) bt Kang Mi-Hwa/lee Kyung-Won (Kor) 15-12, 15-0; Indarti Isolina/Denyana Lomban (Ina x3) bt Chan Ya-lin/Chen Mei-jun (Tpe) 15-9, 15-5; Takae Masumo/Chikako Nakayama (Jpn) bt Cynthia Tuwankotta/Etty Tantri (Ina x5) 15-12, 15-8; Tang Yongshu/Qin Yiyuan (Chn x2) bt Chihiro Osaka/Kanako Yonekura (Jpn) 15-3, 15-6

Mixed doubles 1st Rd: Jens Eriksen/Marlene Thomsen (Den x1) bt Norio Imai/Haruko Matsuda (Jpn) 15-8, 15-11; Luo Yigang/Huang Nanyan (Chn x5) bt Ha Tae-Kwon/Lee Kyung-Won (Kor) 15-13, 15-10; Fumitake Shimizu/ Fujimi Tamura (Jpn) bt Ma Che-kong/Tung Chau-man (Hkg x3) 15-6, 15-3; Chen Gang/Tang Yongshu (Chn) bt Fumihiko Machida/Yasuko Mizui (Jpn x5) 15-10, 15-2; Lee Wei-jen/Tsai Hui-min (Tpe x5) bt Kim Hyung-Joon/Kang Mi-Hwa (Kor) 15-8, 15-11; Michael Soegaard/ Rikke Olsen (Den x3) bt Ge Cheng/Qin Yiyuan (Chn) 15-11, 15-5; Tao Xiaoqiang/Wang Chen (Chn) bt Julian Robertson/Donna Kellogg (Eng x5) 15-4, 15-9; Kim Dong-Moon/Ra Kyung-Min (Kor x2) bt Tatsuya Hirai/Izumi Kida (Jpn) 15-3, 15-7

Quarter-final line up

Women's singles: Ye Zhaoying vs Kim Ji-Hyun; Martin vs Dai Yun; Mia Audina vs Wang Chen, Gong Zhichao vs Lee Joo-Hyum

Men's singles: Christensen vs Ong Ewe Hock; Heryanto Arbi vs Roslin Hashim; Luo Yigang vs Yong Hock Kin; Rashid Sidek vs Liu En-horng

Women's doubles: Gu Jun/Ge Fei vs Iwata/Matsuda; Zelin Reshiana/Eliza vs Olsen/Thomsen; Huang Nanyan/Liu Zhong vs Indarti Isolina/Denyana Lomban; Masumo/Nakayama vs Tang Yongshu/Qin Yiyuan

Men's doubles: Wijaya Candra/Budiarto Sigit vs Sogaard/Holst-Christensen; Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock vs Ha Tae-Kwon/Kim Dong-Moon; Rexy Mainaky/Ricky Subagja vs Larsen/Eriksen; Yoo Youg-Sung/Lee Dong- Son vs Antonius/Denny Kantono

Mixed doubles: Eriksen/Thomsen vs Luo Yigang/Huang Nanyan; Shimizu/Tamura vs Chen Gang/Tang Yongshu; Soegaard/Olsen vs Lee Wei-jen/Tsai Hui- min; Kim Dong-Moon/Ra Kyung-Min vs Tao Xiaoqiang/Wang Chen