National team and pro shuttlers alike kept up Indonesia’s scintillating form at the Japan Open Super Series.
After managing just eight semifinalists and one champion in the first eight Super Series tournaments this year, Indonesia had eight entries reach the last four during Friday’s play at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
In keeping with the week of stunning results, Vita Marissa and Hendra Aprida Gunawan saw off mixed doubles world champions Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark, winning 21-18, 21-17.
“Honestly, we did not have special tactics. We just played without pressure and gave our best,” Vita told the Jakarta Globe by text message. “What makes me happy personally is not only were we able to defeat the world champions, but I could give my best performance as Hendra’s partner.”
Vita and Hendra only began playing together at the Indonesia Open on June 16, and the mixed doubles pairing was the first for men’s doubles specialist Hendra.
The victory set up a semifinal against unseeded Thais Songphon Anugritayawon and Kunchala Voravichitchaikul, who beat Japan’s Kenta Kazuno and Reika Kakiiwa 21-9, 21-9. The other semifinal features third seeds Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir against the sixth-seeded Danes Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen.
Simon Santoso continued to terrorize the higher seeds, knocking off men’s singles No. 5 and defending Japan Open champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-16, 21-17. Simon reached the quarterfinals by upsetting No. 1 seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
“I’m very, very happy to beat [Sony] for the first time because he is a big senior in Indonesia,” Simon told Agence France-Presse. “I was able to keep myself calm today, while Sony made several mistakes. That resulted in this victory.”
Simon will meet fellow Indonesian Taufik Hidayat in the semifinals. Taufik, the fourth seed, beat Korea’s Park Sung Hwan 12-21, 28-26, 21-15.
“Of course I want to beat [Taufik], because I lost to him in the semifinals two years ago,” Simon said. “This is one of the most important tournaments in the Super Series for everybody. Hopefully I can take another step forward.”
Indonesia guaranteed itself a men’s doubles finalist after No. 1 seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan and eight-seeded Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Hendra Aprida Gunawan progressed to set up another all-Indonesia semifinal.
Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki and Rian Sukmawan kept alive the possibility of an all-Indonesia final with their 25-23, 16-21, 21-10 defeat of No. 7 seeds Mohd. Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd. Fairuzizuan Mohd. Tazari of Malaysia. Yonathan and Rian will meet Americans Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan in the semifinals.
Sixth-seeded Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii reached the women’s doubles semifinals, but No. 4 seeds Shendy Puspa Irawati and Meiliana Jauhari fell short of joining them.
Japan Open Super Series Quarterfinal Results:
Men’s Singles
Simon Santoso (INA) def. Sony Dwi Kuncoro (INA, 5) 21-16, 21-17
Taufik Hidayat (INA, 4) def. Park Sung-Hwan (KOR, 6) 12-21, 28-26, 21-15
Bao Chunlai (CHN) def. Peter Gade (DEN, 3) 21-17, 21-14
Tien Minh Nguyen (VIE, 8) def. Kazuteru Kozai (JPN) 21-14, 21-16
Women’s Singles
Eriko Hirose (JPN) def. Nicole Grether (GER) 21-7, 21-18
Wang Yihan (CHN, 4) def. Salakjit Ponsana (THA) 21-11, 21-15
Wang Xin (CHN) def. Mayu Sekiya (JPN) 21-14, 19-21, 21-19
Wang Lin (CHN, 2) def. Pi Hongyan (FRA, 7) 21-9, 21-12
Men’s Doubles
Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (INA, 1) def. Hwang Ji Man/Shin Baek Cheol (KOR) 21-13, 21-19
Howard Bach/Tony Gunawan (USA) def. Hirokatsu Hashimoto/Noriyasu Hirata (JPN) 22-20, 18-21, 21-9
Alvent Yulianto Chandra/Hendra Aprida Gunawan (INA, 8) def. Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen (DEN, 4) 21-19, 12-21, 21-16
Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki/Rian Sukmawan (INA) def. Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif/Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (MAS, 7) 25-23, 16-21, 21-10
Women’s Doubles
Nitya Krishinda Maheswari/Greysia Polii (INA, 6) def. Kanako Konishi/Ayaka Takahashi (JPN) 21-10, 21-17
Miyuki Maeda/Satoko Suetsuna (JPN, 7) def. Shendy Puspa Irawati/Meiliana Jauhari (INA, 4) 21-19, 21-10
Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli (CHN, 5) def. Chin Eei Hui/Wong Pei Tty (MAS, 1) 21-19, 21-12
Ha Eun Jung/Kim Min Jung (KOR, 2) def. Chen Hsiao Huan/Cheng Wen-Hsing (TPE, 8) 21-15, 21-18
Mixed Doubles
Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna Pedersen (DEN x6) def. Devin Lahardi Fitriawan/Lita Nurlita (INA) 19-21, 21-9, 21-9
Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir (INA x3) def. Ko Sung-Hyun/Ha Jung-Eun (KOR) 17-21, 21-7, 21-14
Songphon Anugritaywon/Kulchala Voravichitchaikul (THA) def. Kenta Kazuno/Reika Kakiiwa (JPN) 21-9, 21-9
Hendra Aprida Gunawan/Vita Marissa (INA) def. Thomas Laybourn/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN x5) 21-18, 21-17
