Hariyanto Arbi waltzes through in Japan Open

Hariyanto Arbi waltzes through in Japan Open

TOKYO (AFP): World champion Hariyanto Arbi overcame Japan's
Fumihiko Machida as other seeds made easy passages to the third
round of the US$150,000 Japan Open badminton yesterday.

Hariyanto's straight-set 15-8, 15-11 win showed the gap
between Indonesia's best and the top Japanese, who was just
"happy to be able to make rallies" and take an 11-5 lead in the
second game.

Indonesia's Olympic champion and third seed Alan Budikusuma
enjoyed a rest day and Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen of Denmark withdrew
with a right knee injury.

Former world champion Joko Suprianto, losing finalist here
last year, stormed to a 15-7, 15-5 victory over Iain Sydie of
Canada.

Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen of Denmark, who captured his biggest
title at the All-England last season beating Hariyanto in the
final, chalked up a 15-11, 15-9 win over Peter Knowles of
England.

The women's contest is suffering from withdrawals.

All-England women's title-holder Lim Xiaoqing of Sweden pulled
out after catching a cold to allow Debra O'Connor of Trinidad and
Tobago to go to the third round. Indonesia's Yuliani Sentosa also
quit with a knee injury to give Chinese sixth seed Han Jingna a
win without hitting the shuttlecock.

World champion Ye Zhaoying of China and defending champion
Susi Susanti of Indonesia comfortably went through as their
opponents withdrew with foot injuries.

Camilla Martin of Denmark, Lidya Djaelawidjaya of Indonesia
and China's Wang Chen, Zhang Ning Han Jingna also joined Ye and
Susi into the third round.

There were no upset in the doubles events, with all seeded
teams cruising to comfortable straight-set victories. Men's
doubles top seed Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky of Indonesia
dispatched Kai Mitteldorf and Michael Keck of Germany 15-6, 15-9,
while second seeds Rudy Gunawan and Bambang Suprianto also from
Indonesia beat Danish team of Thomas Stavngaard and Jim Laugesen
15-11, 15-9.