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Top Seed Sent Tumbling
June 07, 2001 - Source : IBF
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You know a tournament has come alive when the shocks start coming. And on day two of the world championships they started coming thick and fast.
The shock of the day looked to be the defeat of Olympic champion Ji Xinpeng by Agus Hariyanto in the morning session.
But by the evening that was rivalled by his Hong Kong team-mate Tam Kai Chuen’s defeat of top seed Roslin Hashim of Malaysia 15-10, 15-8 in just 55 minutes.
With Ling Wan Ting through to the last 16 of the women’s singles it was turning into a fiesta either side of the siesta in Seville.
But it was left to 24-year-old Tam to sum it all up. "My target was to reach the last 16," he said. "This is fantastic. This is not only the best win of my life, but it’s the best men’s singles win ever for Hong Kong."
Clearly he was getting quite carried away because he must have completely overlooked poor old Agus, who put out Ji in a 74-minute battle.
But of his own match he said: "I had studied Roslin’s game with my coach and I knew he liked to play defensively. I knew what I had to do to beat him.
"I think my strengths were the fact that I dominated the front of the court. My tactics were to play fast, short attacks."
Tam now faces Indonesia’s Hendrawan and Agus meets another Indonesian, Marleve Mainaky.
In the final analysis Hong Kong have almost as many players through to the last 16 as Europe does. And their two men’s singles players are two of five unseeded men through to the last 16 along with 1999 runner-up Fung Permadi, Malaysia’s Commonwealth champion Wong Choong Hann and team-mate Lee Tsuen Seng
Denmark’s second seed Peter Gade is the only European in the bottom half while his fellow Danes Anders Boesen and Kenneth Jonassen are through in the top half. Ironically, though, all three beat Europeans to get there!
Now the real test lies ahead with Gade facing Malaysia’s unseeded Lee Tsuen Seng next. Boesen takes on former All England champion Xia Xuanze of China and Jonassen now meets dangerous Korean Lee Hyun II, the fifth seed.
But watch out for Taufik Hidayat. He had made a quietly efficient start, following hisng win over Dutchman Dicky Palyama by beating Ronald Susilo of Singapore .
In the women’s singles Danish top seed and defending champion Camilla Martin really found the pick-me-up after the Sudirman Cup hangover. She crushed Neli Boteva of Bulgaria 11-0 11-0 in just eight minutes for the quickest win so far in the individual event.
But she now has a much-awaited re-match with China’s Dai Yun, the player she beat so dramatically in the world final two years ago in Cagen. it is a mouth-watering prospect. A bit like Ali v Frazier but more petite.
But the Gongs are still sounding a warning, as they both charged into the last 16.
Gong Zhichao, almost everyone’s favourite for the title even though she is only fifth seed, put out Kyoko Komuro 11-1 11-6 in just 15 minutes.
Gong Ruina took a tad longer in flooring Wong Miew Kheng of Malaysia in 38 minutes.
One seed fell in the evening session, Commonwealth champion and ninth seed Kelly Morgan of Wales being beaten by Tine Rasmussen of Denmark . It means Rasmussen is the only unseeded player left in the top half (Liu Zhen of Singapore, who put out fourth seed Marina Andrievskaya is the only unseeded player in the bottom half).
Of the five British players who began the second round only sixth seed Julia Mann survives |
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Other news:
» Hafiz to take three-week break
» Memories of… the 2002 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals
» Gopi to lead India in Commonwealth Games
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