BUSAN, Oct 10: Indonesia got back to winning ways Thursday, with their men’s singles and mixed doubles players advancing to the second round of the badminton competition.
Reigning men’s world champion Hendrawan made the Asian powerhouses forget the disappointment of the men’s team’s controversial loss to South Korea in their gold medal match Wednesday by easing into the second round.
Hendrawan took just 30 minutes to sweep aside Indian shuttler Abhinn Shyam Gupta. The Indonesian took it in straight sets, 15-5, 15-5.
The mixed doubles pair of Trikus Harjanto and Emma Ermawati, ranked ninth in the world, outlasted Japan’s Tadashi Otsuka and Shizuka Yamamoto, 11-5, 9-11, 11-0 to head into a second round clash with China’s Chen Qiqiu and Zhang Jiewen.
With world number 14 Taufik Hidayat earning free passage into the second round of men’s singles, mixed doubles second seeds Nova Widhianto and Vita Marissa later whitewashed Yau Tsz-yuk and Louisa Koon Wai-chee of Hong Kong, 11-5, 11-5.
Widhianto and Marissa, ranked seventh in the world, face China’s Zhang Jun and Gao Ling in the second round.
Hidayat is in the other half of the men’s singles draw, and Indonesia’s trainer Christian Hadinata said he liked the chances of both his players.
“I think Taufik can win, and Hendrawan also in men’s singles,” he told AFP. Indonesia are targeting two badminton gold medals in Busan.
The Indonesians were coming off a controversial loss to South Korea in the men’s team final Wednesday.
Hidayat led a two-hour Indonesian walkout on Wednesday after a string of questionable decisions that went in favor of South Korea’s Shon Seung-Mo in their opening game.
There were none of the disputed line calls on Thursday.
Hidayat will face Ng Wei of Hong Kong in the second round. Ng beat Hidetaka Yamada of Japan in an opening round match, 15-11, 15-7.
The women’s singles first round matches also finished as expected for China, with top seed and world number two Zhou Mi and second seed and world champion Gong Ruina both gliding into the second round.—AFP
