Takahashi upsets Wang but Li, Lin, Lee advance
Print Edition
China’s former world champion Wang Yihan crashed out in the second round of the Japan Open yesterday, losing to Japanese giant-killer Sayaka Takahashi.
Second-seeded Wang, the 2011 world champion and the runner-up to compatriot Li Xuerui at the 2012 London Olympics, slumped to a 13-21, 16-21 defeat to Takahashi in 38 minutes.
Takahashi, currently ranked 12th in the world, beat world No. 1 Li in the quarterfinals of the German Open last year.
“I went out feeling I had nothing to lose,” said the 21-year-old, who also upset Thailand’s 2013 world champion Ratchanok Intanon at the 2013 and 2014 Asian championships.
“I still cannot believe it because (Wang) is a player with such an awesome record.”
Wang, 26, gave up an early lead to be caught by Takahashi at 8-8 in the first game. The world No. 3 lost six straight points after trailing 13-15.
In the second game, Takahashi led all the way from 5-all and broke away to victory by losing only one point after 16-15.
It was only their second-ever encounter; Wang took the first one 2-1 at the 2013 Hong Kong Open.
“I could not move aggressively today and allowed my opponent to control the game,” said the Chinese player, who has won two events so far this year in the top-flight World Superseries this year — in South Korea and Singapore.
Takahashi hurt her lower back when she lost a match in Japan’s 1-3 defeat by China in the final of the Uber Cup women’s team championship in New Delhi last month.
Takahashi will play Chinese Taipei’s sixth-seeded Tzu Ying Tai in the quarterfinals.
Top-seeded Li, who struggled in beating defending champion and 17-year-old Akane Yamaguchi in the first round, trounced another Japanese Eriko Hirose 21-5, 21-16.
Big names among the men coasted to the quarterfinals with world No. 1 and top seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia beating Germany’s Marc Zwiebler 21-13, 28-26 in the second round.
China’s Chen Long, ranked second behind Lee in the world, whipped Hong Kong, China’s Hu Yun 21-17, 21-15.
Lin Dan beat Chinese compatriot Gao Huan 21-17, 21-15 on his comeback this year after a seven-month sabbatical.
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