Changzhou: So, he beat Lin Dan in first round, and then ousted No. 1 seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-18, 21-17 in the second round, can he topple another big gun, Chen Long in the China Open quarter-finals on Friday?
Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting who had shocked reigning Olympic champion Chen Long 21-19, 21-11 in the Asian Games quarter-finals on Aug 26, has high chance of beating the Chinese player as he looks to continue hot form against the No. 6 seed Chen.
Meanwhile, after his second round loss, Axelsen revealed that he was not feeling well during Thursday’s match.
“I have some breathing problems today, but this was not an excuse for losing. Today my opponent was playing better than me,” said Axelsen after the match.
“My feet were fine, but my training has not been as good as before. I am facing some difficulties this year, but I must learn to be patient. I hope that I can play better in upcoming tournaments,” added Axelsen.
Also through to the last eight was No. 3 seed Kento Momota as the Japanese player beat his compatriot Kenta Nishimoto comfortably with 21-9, 21-9. Momota will meet No. 7 seed Kidambi Srikanth of India next.
In the women’s competition, sixth seed Carolina Marin of Spain cruised to a 21-16, 14-21, 21-9 victory over Japan’s Sayaka Takahashi while the unseeded Gao Fangjie of China who upset No. 1 seed Tai Tzu Ying in the first round, survived big scare to roll past Nitchaon Jindapol of Thailand 22-20, 21-18 in 54 minutes.
Both Marin and Gao will face off against each other in the quarter-finals.
Thursday was a bad day for the Malasian camp, as 3 Malaysian pairs including Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong, Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin, and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing were shown the door in the second round of the China Open.
