Basel: Two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China produced a vintage performance as he progressed to the third round of Swiss Open after a comfortable win over Koki Watanabe of Japan 21-13, 21-13 in the Swiss Open men’s singles match on Wednesday.
Lin who lost to compatriot Shi Yuqi in the All England semi-finals last week, showed his dominance from start to finish to defeat his Japanese opponent in 36 minutes. The 33-year-old No. 1 seed is scheduled to take on Brice Leverdez of France on Thursday.
The men’s singles No. 2 seed Shi Yuqi who lost to Lee Chong Wei in the All England final last Sunday, underlined his credentials as a genuine contender to claim the Swiss Open with a remarkable performance to overcome Scott Evans of Ireland 21-17, 21-13 in the second round. Shi will play No. 9 seed Anders Antonsen of Denmark next.
Women’s doubles No. 3 seeds Vivian Hoo/Woon Khe Wei became Malaysia’s sole representatives in the tournament after dispatching Lin Xiao Min/Wu Fang Chien of Taiwan 21-18, 21-14 in the women’s doubles first round. They will meet another Taiwanese pair Chiang Kai Hsin/Hung Shih Han to battle for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi showed great spirit in their opening match against last week’s All England runners-up and No. 2 seeds Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen of China, rallied from 15-20 to nearly turn the tables on Li/Liu before losing 26-28 in the first set. The Malaysians also staged a fearless and sensational fightback, coming from 16-18 to tie the second set at 18-18, before the Chinese pair reeled off 3 consecutive points to claim the second game 21-18. Li/Liu will take on compatriots Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan in the second round.
Meanwhile, the Indonesia and Malaysia combo Hendra Setiawan/Tan Boon Heong were knocked out by No. 3 seeds Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark 13-21, 21-15, 14-21. Astrup/Rasmussen will clash with Raphael Beck/Peter Kaesbauer of Germany in the next round.
