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Malaysia’s Iskandar Zulkarnain caused a big upset as the first round action concluded at the Macau Open 2018, a Super 300 tournament, in Macau City on Wednesday.
The World No. 75 lost a very tight opening game but came storming back to notch up a 24-26, 21-16, 21-13 win over the sixth seed and World No. 37 Yu Igarashi of Japan in a marathon opening round contest that lasted 1 hour 13 minutes.
RESULTS: Macau Open 2018#MAS ?? Iskandar Zulkarnain march to the 2nd round with a battling 24-26 21-16 21-13 win over 6th seed #JAP ?? Yu Igarashi #BadmintonMalaysia#KebanggaanKita pic.twitter.com/Hsc0aeTRoZ
— BAM (@BA_Malaysia) October 31, 2018
Apart from reaching the semi-finals of the India Open and the quarter-finals of the China Masters, the former World Junior Championships silver medallist has not done anything of note this year. He will need to recover quickly from this long match for he next faces China’s Lu Guangzu, who had a breezy 21-11, 21-6 outing against India’s Shreyansh Jaiswal.
Malaysia’s seventh seed Chong Wei Feng had an equally easy time on the court in his 21-16, 21-9 rout of qualifier Yang Chih Chieh. Next up for him is China’s Zhao Junpeng, who prevailed over former Olympic bronze medallist Sony Dwi Kuncoro 15-21, 21-12, 21-17.
Meanwhile, top seed and World No. 13 NG Ka Long Angus ended the winning streak of the Indonesia International champion Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo with a 21-9, 21-14 victory. The Indonesian had won a couple of qualifying rounds on Tuesday.
Thailand’s 23-year-old Sitthikom Thammasin beat Heo Kwang Hee 21-10, 21-16 to enter the second round. But Thailand’s Adulrach Namkul and Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren Rhustavito both bowed out in the first round.
Former Olympic champion Li Xuerui advances
China’s 2012 women’s singles Olympic gold medallist Li Xuerui has been clawing her way back to the top echelons of the sport after being sidelined due to a major knee injury that she suffered at the Rio Olympics.
The former World No. 1 has been careful about her schedule and has played only four events this year, winning three of them. At the Macau Open, the current World No. 57 made a fine start to her campaign by beating the sixth seed Yip Pui Pin 21-13, 21-6.
Japan’s World No. 44 Ayume Mine also showed the exit door to the eighth seed Zhang Yiman of China with a commanding 21-11, 21-11 win.
The top seed and World No. 18 Michelle Li did not face any problem and secured a 21-16, 21-19 win over Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun. She next meets Thailand’s upcoming star Supanida Katethong, who battled hard for 1 hour 9 minutes to subdue Indonesia’s Yulia Yosephin Susanto 21-13, 19-21, 21-13.
Malaysia’s seventh seed Soniia Cheah staved off a stiff resistance in the second game from Chinese Taipei’s Liang Ting Yu to get a 21-15, 24-22 win.
22-year-old Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky, the rising Indonesian women’s singles shuttler, also made it to the second round with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Crystal Pan.
French Open men’s doubles champions out
The doubles section witnessed a shocking result as the French Open men’s doubles champions Han Chengkai and Zhou Haodong were knocked out in the first round. The Chinese pair, who are former world junior champions, stopped the run of the World No. 1 pair of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the final in Paris to win the title on Sunday.
But three days later, they had to taste a bitter 19-21, 13-21 defeat at the Macau Open at the hands of the unseeded Korean-Malaysian combination of two veterans, Kim Sa Rung and Tan Boon Heong.
And this was not the only upset in men’s doubles. Indonesian sixth seeds Akbar Bintang Cahyono and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani too were sent packing by the Malaysian combine of Chooi Kah Ming and Low Juan Shen 21-13, 18-21, 21-18.
In women’s doubles, Indonesia’s Winny Oktavina Kandow-Virni Putri and Thailand’s Suchanya Kanchanasaka-Nannapas Sukklad advanced to the second round.
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