YONEX SUNRISE SS FINALS Day 1 - Super Starter by Polish Pair

Recent Hong Kong Open mixed doubles champions Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk got off to a super start in the opening day of the US$500,000 Yonex-Sunrise BWF World Super Series Masters Finals at Stadium Bandaraya in Johor Bahru. They beat 2009 World Championship bronze medallists Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen 21-19, 21-18 in the Group A match.

By Timothy Chan, Badzine Correspondent, live in JB. Photos (live): Eka Nickmatulhuda, for Badmintonphoto

It was sweet revenge for the Polish pair of Robert and Nadiezda, as they had in October lost 18-21, 21-19, 21-23 to Nielsen and Pedersen (photo) in the semi-finals of the Denmark Open. According to Robert, he is very satisfied with their performance today, especially the many powerful winning smashes he had executed in the match. It was a tough first game for Robert and Nadiezda, as the score check-mate at 14-14 but the Polish were very determined and fought hard to take it narrowly at 21-19. The second game was equally tough as Robert and Nadiezda could only take a 2-point lead from 11-8 onwards until they finally won 21-18. Mateusiak said that in the absence of Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung and the strong Chinese pairs in this tournament, the greatest challenger to their masters finals title chase now is Fischer Nielsen and Pedersen, whom they had already beaten tonight.

In the other Group A mixed doubles match, played in the morning, South Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun and Ha Jung Eun unfortunately lost to Thailand’s Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam 14-21, 19-21. This match, too, involved revenge for the Thai pair, who were beaten by the Koreans in the early rounds of the Japan Open this autumn.

In the Group B matches for mixed doubles, Chinese Taipei Open runners-up Hendra Aprida Gunawan / Vita Marissa of Indonesia defeated Songphon Anugritayawon and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul of Thailand 21-14, 21-13. In the other match, Chinese Taipei Open champion Diju Valiyaveetil and Jwala Gutta lost to Anthony Clark and Donna Kellogg 15-21, 16-21.

"We still can work hard and win in the next two matches against the Thai and Indonesian pairs, to qualify for the semi-final," said Diju.

SSfinals-Bao

Bad start for Taufik in group of death

The first match of the first day of competition began very early in the morning at 9am between world #9 Bao Chunlai of China and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, in the presence of a tiny crowd. A super start by Bao (photo) saw him finishing off the higher ranked Taufik (world #3) in two straight games in 45 minutes, winning with a tight score of 21-18, 26-24.

World no. 1 Lee Chong Wei has been placed in the Group A (known as "the group of death") together with Bao and Taufik. The fourth player in this group is Hsieh Yu Hsin of Chinese Taipei. Only the top two players from the group will advance to the semi-finals.

Recent China Open finalist Jan Jorgensen from Denmark played against his compatriot Peter Gade, losing 12-21, 15-21. They are both in Group B, together with Park Sung Hwan of South Korea and Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand, and both have the potential to be champions at this tourney. Boonsak lost to Park Sung Hwan 26-28, 18-21. Later in the night, Lee Chong Wei played against Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Yu Hsin, winning easily at 21-11, 21-12.

SSfinals-saina

Zero Chinese player women’s singles

Without the presence of the Chinese players, local star Wong Mew Choo now has a good chance of winning the title. Should she win it, it will be a big boost for her SEA Games campaign in Laos from 9 to 18 Dec. Mew Choo's main challenger in Group A was Saina Nehwal of India (photo). Cheered by the local fans, Mew Choo defeated Saina 21-13, 13-21, 21-14. The other two weaker players in the group are Charmaine Reid of Canada and Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand. Porntip, runner-up at this year's World Junior Championships, had earlier in the morning won against Charmaine 21-13, 21-12.

Group B will feature three European players: namely, Nicole Grether and Juliane Schenk of Germany and Yao Jie of Netherlands. The fourth player in this group is Salakjit Ponsana of Thailand, sister of Boonsak Ponsana. Nicole lost to Juliane 17-21, 14-21 while Yao Jie defeated Salakjit 21-14, 21-11.

Men's doubles upset

World no. 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, playing in Group A ,did not get off to a good start and received a shock defeat, upset by compatriots Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari / Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif (photo), losing 15-21, 17-21. Later in the night, the Chinese pair Guo Zhendong and Xu Chen narrowly defeated Rian Sukmawan and Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki of Indonesia by the impossibly close scores of 26-24, 22-20.

In Group B, Denmark’s Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen probably anticipated playing a 3-game match against Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Hendra Gunawan of Indonesia. But Mathias and Carsten won in 2 straight games 21-16, 21-18.

In the absence of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, and with their recent wins in China over the other major contenders, South Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung are the favourites to win the MD title. They defeated Anthony Clark and Nathan Robertson 21-18, 21-13.

SSfinals-tazari

Malaysian women's doubles now favourites

Without the Korean, Chinese and Indonesian players around, Masters Finals defending champions Chin Eei Hui and Wong Pei Tty are now favourites to capture the title for the second time in a row. According to head coach for doubles, Mainaky, he said in this current situation, the challenging opposition is from the Danish pair of Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Lena Frier Kristiansen. Eei Hui and Pei Tty defeated Grether and Reid easily 21-11, 21-11. Rytter and Frier won against Gabrielle White and Jenny Wallwork of England 16-21, 21-10, 21-9.

In Group B, Thailand’s Duang Anong Aroonkesorn and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul defeated the French pair of Laura Choinet and Weny Rahmawati 21-19, 21-13. The all-Chinese Taipei match in Group B, saw the better pair of Cheng Wen Hsing and Chien Yu Chin winning against Chou Chia Chi and Chang Li Ying 21-12, 21-6.

For complete results from Day 1 of the Yonex-Sunrise BWF World Super Series Masters Finals, CLICK HERE

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