Hong Kong Open: It’s back to business for Chong Wei

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei did not suffer from any wedding hangover as he breezed past Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana to check into the second round of the Hong Kong Open in Kowloon yesterday.
Chong Wei, playing in his first tournament since winning the Denmark Open last month and after his wedding to Wong Mew Choo earlier this month, downed Boonsak 21-15, 21-15.
He faces India’s Ajay Jayaram after the world No. 27 stunned China Open finalist Wang Zhengming 22-20, 23-21.
But it’s game over for Chong Wei Feng, whose slim hopes of qualifying for the Super Series Finals in Shenzhen next month vanished after an uninspiring first round loss to Japan’s Kenichi Tago.
The 25-year-old Wei Feng, who achieved a personal best by making the semi-finals of the China Open last week, failed to raise his game this time and lost 18-21, 9-21.
India’s P. Kashyap also scored a big upset when he defeated world No. 10 and seventh seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark 24-22, 20-22, 22-20.
In the men’s doubles, Malaysia’s second-ranked pair Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong stayed on track for a trip to Shenzhen despite struggling to beat unheralded Taiwanese pair Chen Hung Ling-Lu Chia Bin.
The world No. 18 Thien How-Wee Kiong, who need to reach at least the quarter-finals here to consolidate their eighth spot in the Super Series standings, struggled with their focus before prevailing 21-16, 17-21, 21-19.
Only the top eight pairs in the standings will qualify for the Finals and each country may send two pairs if both are in the top eight.
Thien How-Wee Kiong have an easier shot at making the last eight as they’ll be up against Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki-Hendra Gunawan after the Indonesians toppled seventh seeds Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata in three games. Top seeds Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong also avoided an early pitfall with a comfortable win over Thailand’s Patiphat Chalardchaleam-Nipitphon Puangpuapech, but the professional duo of Gan Teik Chai-Ong Soon Hock bit the dust.
Ong Jian Guo-Woon Khe Wei continued their recent impressive form by coming back from a game down to edge Patiphat-Savitree Amitapai 18-21, 21-14, 21-17 in the mixed doubles.
Top Malaysian mixed pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying also cleared the first hurdle by avenging their first round loss in the French Open to Tao Jiaming-Tang Jinhua. This time the Malaysians won 22-20, 19-21, 21-15.
The third seeds will face Russia’s Sergey Lunev-Evgenia Dimova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Wee Kiong-Lim Yin Loo made it a triple delight for Malaysia in the mixed doubles when they beat South Korea’s Kim Ki-jung-Kim So-young 21-19, 21-18.
Courtesy of The Star