KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18: World number two Lee Chong Wei smashed his way into the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open Friday, beating Indonesia’s Simon Santoso 21-13, 21-13.
Chong Wei got off to a cautious start against Santoso, who scored a major upset by beating countryman Taufik Hidayat in the second round on Thursday.
Despite having just recovered from a fever he came down with at the start of the week, Chong Wei proved too strong for Santoso and the Malaysian player won in straight sets. However, it was Danish veteran player Kenneth Jonassen who received the loudest cheers after he performed another upset by beating China’s second seed, Bao Chunlai, 21-14, 21-19 in 33 minutes.
Meanwhile, Singaporean player Kendrick Lee Yen Hui’s journey was cut short after losing to Korean Lee Hyun Ii 21-10, 23-21.
China suffered another loss when world number four Lu Lan failed to stop the advances of Danish player Tine Rasmussen, who won 21-12, 16-21, 21-16.
Lu Lan led 2-0 in the first set only to allow Rasmussen to quickly climb back and later lead 6-2. Looking somewhat lethargic, Lu Lan made several weak attempts and often looked behind, hoping for guidance from her coach.
There was no turning back for Rasmussen as the lanky Danish player went on to win the first set 21-12.
Lu Lan showed more resistance in the second set, which she won 21-16, but a gritty Rasmussen claimed her own scoreline of 21-16 in the third.
Third seed Zhu Lin had an easier time, winning a berth in the semi-finals by beating Wang Chen of Hong Kong 21-10, 21-11.
It wasn’t a good day for the host nation players as fifth-seeded veteran pair Chong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah crashed out 16-21, 21-16, 6-21 to Denmark’s Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen. Another Malaysian pair that failed to make the cut was Chew Choon Eng and Chan Chong Ming. They lost to third seeded Fu Haifeng and Cai Yun of China 21-13, 21-12.
Indonesian mixed doubles pair Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir went down to Koreans Lee Yong Dae-Lee Hyo Jung, losing 21-19, 23-21.
The Indonesians, seeded second in the tournament, awarded easy points to their opponents thanks to a string of errors. They managed to claw back in the second set but it was not enough to topple the Koreans.Results:
Quarter-finals:
Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei (MAS x1) bt Simon Santoso (INA) 21-13, 21-13; Chen Yu (CHN x8) bt Shon Seung Mo (KOR) 23-21, 19-21, 21-15; Lee Hyun Ii (KOR) bt Kendrick Lee Yen Hui (SIN) 21-10, 23-21; Kenneth Jonassen (DEN x7) bt Bao Chunlai (CHN x2) 21-14, 21-19.
Women’s singles: Wong Mew Choo (MAS x8) bt Eriko Hirose (JPN) 16-21, 23-21, 21-14; Zhu Lin (CHN x3) bt Wang Chen (HKG x6) 21-10, 21-11; Tine Rasmussen (DEN) bt Lu Lan (CHN x4) 21-12, 16-21, 21-16; Pi Hongyan (FRA x5) bt Yu Hirayama (JPN) 21-13, 21-9.
Second round:
Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei (MAS x1) bt Przemyslaw Wacha (POL) 21-5, 15-21, 21-8; Simon Santoso (INA) bt Taufik Hidayat (INA x6) 21-18, 21-16; Shon Seung Mo (KOR) bt Sairul Amar Ayob (MAS) 22-20, 5-21, 21-17; Chen Yu (CHN x8) bt Andre Kurniawan Tedjono (INA) 21-13, 21-9; Lee Hyun Ii (KOR) bt Anup Sridhar (IND) 22-24, 21-14, 21-13; Kendrick Lee Yen Hui (SIN) bt Chen Jin (CHN x3) 22-20, 21-16; Kenneth Jonassen (DEN x7) bt Ng Wei (HKG) 21-12, 21-10; Bao Chunlai (CHN x2) bt Wong Choong Hann (MAS) 21-15, 21-16.
Women’s singles: Lu Lan (CHN x4) bt Juliane Schenk (GER) 21-15, 21-8; Zhu Lin (CHN x3) bt Zhou Mi (HKG) 11-21, 21-17, 21-16; Eriko Hirose (JPN) bt Cheng Shao-Chieh (TPE) 21-13, 21-11; Wong Mew Choo (MAS x8) bt Jeanine Cicognini (SUI) 21-14, 21-10; Wang Chen (HKG x6) bt Petya Nedelcheva (BUL) 17-21, 21-11, 21-10; Tine Rasmussen (DEN) bt Kanako Yonekura (JPN) 21-19, 21-19; Pi Hongyan (FRA x5) bt Yao Jie (NED) 21-12, 21-12; Yu Hirayama (JPN) bt Hwang Hye Youn (KOR) 21-13, 21-16. –AFP
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