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.