NST Online: Sports

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:09 AM PDT

2011/06/23
By K.M. Boopathy

China's Lin Dan lost 12-21, 18-21 to Japan's Sho Sasaki yesterday.

IT was business as usual for Lee Chong Wei who checked into the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open but Olympic champion Lin Dan suffered a shock second round exit in Jakarta yesterday.

Chong Wei faced no problems in registering a 21-17, 21-12 win over Hong Kong's Wong Wing Ki in 29 minutes. The World No 1 will next meet either Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam or Wang Zhengming of China, both who were involved in a late second round match last night.

Lin Dan, who had conceded a walkover at the Singapore Open final to compatriot Chen Jin due to stomach ailment, was nowhere near his best against Japanese Sho Sasaki, losing 12-21, 18-21 in 39 minutes.

Sasaki's success means there will be no Chong Wei-Lin Dan showdown in the final. It appears now that the Malaysian's biggest rival will be local favourite Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia who advanced to the last eight by beating Bao Chunlai of China 21-19, 25-23 in the second round.

"No excuses. Sasaki deserves to win. I did not deliberately lose. I will have to see a doctor and check what's wrong with my stomach," said Lin Dan.

"And I need to take a good rest too before I decide on the next course of action."

Men's doubles Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong were up against Japan's Naoki Kawamae-Shoji Sato of Japan in a late second round match last night.

Women's doubles Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui had to work hard for a 17-21, 21-18, 21-13 win over Nicole Grether-Chairmaine Reid of Canada to reach the quarter-finals.

"The Canadians were fighting so hard and we lost our rhythm too. It will only get tougher from now on but at least we are showing progress," said Pei Tty.

They will next meet Indonesia's Vita Marissa-Nadya Melati, who upset second seeds Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin of Taiwan 21-19, 23-21, in the last eight.

Vita-Nadya defeated Pei Tty-Eei Hui in the Singapore Open last week and the Malaysians need make a better effort to overcome their rivals today.

Selected 2nd Rd results -- Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Wong Wing Ki (HK) 21-17, 21-12; Chen Long (Chn) bt Kenichi Tago (Jpn) 21-11, 21-14; Taufik Hidayat (Ina) bt Bao Chunlai (Chn) 21-19, 25-23; Peter Gade Christensen (Den) bt Shon Wan Ho (Kor) 21-15, 21-19; Du Pengyu (Chn) bt Kazushi Yamada (Jpn) 21-14, 21-13; Sho Sasaki (Jpn) bt Lin Dan (Chn) 21-12, 21-18.

Men's Doubles: Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) bt Anthony Clark-Chris Langridge (Eng) 30-28, 21-15; Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) bt Yoshiteru Hirobe-Kenta Kazuno (Jpn) 21-17, 23-21; Angga Pratama-Rian Agung Saputra (Ina) bt Lee Yong Dae-Jung Jae Sung (Kor) 21-17, 21-17; Mohammad Ahsan-Bona Septano (Ina) bt Fang Chieh Min-Lee Sheng Mu (Tai) 21-19, 16-21, 21-12.

Women's Doubles: Wong Pei Tty-Chin Eei Hui (Mas) bt Nicole Grether-Charmaine Reid (Can) 17-21, 21-8, 21-13.

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Nadal, Murray roar into third round

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:29 AM PDT

WORLD No 1 Rafael Nadal and British hope Andy Murray stayed on course for a Wimbledon showdown on Wednesday as Venus Williams came from a set down to reach the third round of the women's draw.

Spanish reigning champion Nadal swept into the last 32 with a brisk demolition of American journeyman Ryan Sweeting, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 under a closed Centre Court roof as rain disrupted play early on.

Nadal, aiming for his third Wimbledon title in four years, will face Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, who beat him here in 2005, in the third round.

"I played well. I had the match under control at 2-1, 40-0 in the third set but then made a few mistakes," said Nadal, who added he preferred to play without the STG80 million roof covering the action.

"That's something strange. They told me they were going to open the roof. But at the last minute, they told me they predicted a shower. Never comes.

"It's a new experience for me, a good experience. But the tournament is outdoor, not indoor and I prefer to play outdoors. I prefer to play with no roof, that's for sure."

Nadal is on course to meet Murray in the semi-finals, with the Scottish fourth seed aiming to become the first British man to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray was stretched to four sets in his first round match on Monday but faced no such problems against Germany's Tobias Kamke on Court Number One, wrapping up a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 win with a minimum of fuss.

Murray will take on Ivan Ljubicic for a place in the last 16 after the Croatian veteran made short work of Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

"I served well but the rest of my game needs work. It was quite tricky and windy," Murray said.

Murray was joined in the last 32 later Wednesday by American eighth seed Andy Roddick who had too much class for Romania's Victor Hanescu en route to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win.

Roddick, a three-time losing finalist, will face Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the third round today.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, the men's draw went mostly to form, with seeded players Mardy Fish, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils all reaching the third round.

The highlight of the women's tournament saw five-time champion Venus Williams pushed all the way by 40-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm in a pulsating three-hour battle.

Venus, 31, finally prevailed 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 8-6 to advance to a third round meeting with Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who beat Monica Niculescu 6-3, 6-0, today.

Venus, seeded 23, is feeling her way back into tennis after a five-month lay-off following an injury sustained at the Australian Open in January, an enforced absence that has left her hungrier than ever.

"I think more than anything I've learned I'm very competitive. I've been extremely positive regardless of how my opponent's playing. Just keeping fighting," Venus said.

Kimiko, who reached the semi-finals here in 1996 before later taking a 12-year sabbatical from the sport, expressed satisfaction that she had pushed her more illustrious opponent so close.

"Of course I'm very, very disappointed. But most important, I played my tennis and showed I can fight with Venus. She's a five-time champion here. So it was a very, very good match for me." -- AFP

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 23 Jun 2011

NST Online: Sports

NST Online: Sports

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