Jakarta: Fresh from winning the Singapore Open title last week, France’s Alex Lanier continued his strong run by defeating Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the opening round of the Indonesia Open on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Frenchman needed just 39 minutes to beat Antonsen 21-8, 21-17 in the men’s singles first round, booking his place in the last 16 at Istora Senayan.
Lanier will next face Malaysia’s Leong Jun Hao in the second round, setting up an interesting clash between two players who entered Jakarta with renewed confidence.
The victory also gave Lanier his fourth win in six career meetings against Antonsen. The two had met just last week at the Singapore Open, where Lanier was pushed to three games before coming through. This time, the Frenchman was sharper from the start and completed the job in straight games.
Antonsen, one of Denmark’s leading men’s singles players, struggled to find his rhythm in the opening game as Lanier controlled the pace and attacked with confidence. Although the Dane improved in the second game, Lanier stayed composed in the closing rallies to seal another important win on the BWF World Tour.
Weng Hong Yang Falls to Ayush Shetty
China’s Weng Hong Yang also suffered a first-round exit after losing a three-game battle to India’s rising player Ayush Shetty.
Weng started strongly but could not hold off Shetty’s comeback, eventually falling 21-8, 20-22, 15-21 after 66 minutes. The result marked Shetty’s second straight win over the Chinese player.
Kang Khai Xing-Aaron Tai Advance After Indian Pair Retires
Malaysia’s young men’s doubles pair Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai moved into the second round after India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty retired in their opening match.
Kang and Tai, ranked world No. 23, were leading 11-6 in the first game when the fourth-seeded Indian pair withdrew. Rankireddy and Shetty had arrived in Jakarta after winning the Singapore Open last week, where they defeated Kang and Tai in the quarterfinals.
This result gave the Malaysian pair their second win in three meetings against the Indian duo.
Kang and Tai will next face another Indian pair, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M. R. Arjun, for a place in the quarterfinals.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik Win Malaysian Derby
Malaysia’s second-seeded men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik also reached the last 16 after winning an all-Malaysian battle against Junaidi Arif and Yap Roy King.
Aaron and Soh won 21-15, 21-14 to extend their head-to-head winning streak over Junaidi and Yap to four matches.
The former world champions controlled most of the opening game and closed it out 21-15. In the second game, Junaidi and Yap fought back to level the score at 10-10, but Aaron and Soh responded with a four-point run to regain control before finishing the match 21-14.
Aaron and Soh will face Indonesia’s young pair Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in the second round. The Indonesian duo advanced with a 21-9, 21-13 win over Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi.
Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan Cruise Into Second Round
In women’s doubles, Malaysia’s top pair Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan made a confident start to their Indonesia Open campaign.
The world No. 2 pair defeated Canada’s Jackie Dent and Crystal Lai 21-13, 21-14 to move safely into the last 16.
Pearly and Thinaah had a slow start in the opening game, trailing 1-4, but quickly found their rhythm. They produced a seven-point run to take control before adding another strong scoring burst on their way to a 21-13 win.
In the second game, the Malaysians started much sharper, leading 5-1 early before entering the interval at 11-6. From there, they gradually widened the gap and completed the match 21-14.
Pearly and Thinaah will next meet Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Ya Ching and Sung Yu-Hsuan for a place in the quarterfinals. Hsu and Sung defeated Hong Kong’s Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan 21-13, 17-21, 21-16.
Karupathevan Letshanaa Scores First Win Over Line Kjaersfeldt
Malaysia’s Karupathevan Letshanaa also delivered an encouraging result in women’s singles, defeating Denmark’s Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt in three games.
The world No. 31 Malaysian overcame the world No. 20 Dane 21-14, 19-21, 21-13 to reach the second round. It was Letshanaa’s first win over Kjaersfeldt in three career meetings.
Letshanaa played with confidence in the opening game before Kjaersfeldt responded in a tight second game. However, the Malaysian regained control in the decider and finished strongly to secure one of her better wins of the season.
She will face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the next round. Yamaguchi booked her place in the last 16 with a 21-17, 21-11 win over Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun.
Malaysia Builds Momentum in Jakarta
With Leong Jun Hao already waiting for Alex Lanier in the men’s singles second round, and several Malaysian pairs progressing in doubles, the Indonesia Open has already produced plenty of positive badminton news for Malaysian fans.
Lanier’s straight-game win over Antonsen adds another major storyline to the tournament, especially after his title-winning performance in Singapore. His upcoming match against Leong Jun Hao will be one of the key second-round contests to watch in Jakarta.
