RAZIF Latif-Woon Khe Wei advanced to the mixed doubles’ main draw of the Singapore Open but national elite back-up singles player Tan Chun Seang was shown the door in the qualifying rounds yesterday.
Razif-Khe Wei were lucky in the opening round when Singapore’s Hendri Kurniawan Saputra-Vanessa Neo retired midway in the second game. The Singaporean pair had turned on the heat with a stunning 21-19 victory in the first game.
Razif-Khe Wei were leading 11-8 when Hendri-Vanessa decided to retire.
In the deciding second round match, Razif-Khe Wei thrashed Netherlands’ Koen Ridder-Yao Jie 21-9, 21-14 in 18 minutes to book their spot in the main draw.
The Malaysians face Singapore’s Danny Bawa Chrisnanta-Yao Lei in the first round today.
Razif-Khe Wei are using the tournament and also next week’s Indonesia Open to prepare for the World Championships in August.
Former national pair Chow Pak Chuu-Hong Chieng Hun also made the main draw of the men’s doubles, after defeating Sune Gavnholt-Christian Lind Thomsen 21-10, 21-15.
Chun Seang, who was a reserve in last month’s Sudirman Cup, started his campaign on a promising note by edging Denmark’s Christian Thomsen Lind 16-21, 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the qualifiers.
But he fell to a 21-13, 17-21, 21-7 defeat to China’s Gong Weijie in the second round.
RESULTS (Malaysians unless stated)
Men’s singles qualifiers (1st round): Tan Chun Seang bt Christian Thomsen Lind (Den) 16-21, 21-19, 23-21.
2nd round: Gong Weijie (Chn) bt Tan Chun Seang 21-13, 17-21, 21-7.
Doubles (1st round): Chow Pak Chuu-Hong Chieng Hun bt Sune Gavnholt-Christian Lind Thomsen (Den) 21-10, 21-15.
Women’s singles (1st round): Kim Moon Hi (Kor) bt Anita Raj Kaur 21-16, 21-9.
Mixed doubles (1st round): Fairuzizuan Tazari-Wong Pei Tty bt Kenichi Hayakawa-Shizuka Matsuo 23-21, 21-19; Razif Latif-Woon Khe Wei bt Hendri Kurniawan Saputra-Vanessa Neo (Sin) 19-21, 11-8 (rtd),
2nd round: Han Sang Hoon-Jang Ye Na (Kor) bt Fairuzizuan Tazari-Wong Pei Tty 22-20, 11-21, 21-18; Razif Latif-Woon Khe Wei bt Koen Ridder-Yao Jie (Ned) 21-9, 21-14.
