Reversals mar Day 2 of RP Open (July 19,2007)

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Forget the Chen Hong-Taufik Hidayat duel, the Hafiz
Hashim title-retention bid and another crack at the
mixed doubles crown by Kennie and Kennevic Asuncion.
In a day of reversals, unheralded Vietnamese Tien Minh
Nguyen shone the brightest when he upended the
reigning Olympic champion Hidayat with a shocking
21-18, 21-13 victory in the second round of the 2007
Bingo Bonanza Philippine Open Badminton Championships
at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, Metro Manila
Thursday.

Nguyen, a former Vietnam Satellite winner with a No.
60 ranking in the world, surprised the fancied
Hidayat, the world No. 10 and also the reigning Asian
Games champion, with a variety of shots and power game
to gain a spot in the last 16 in the men’s singles.

The Vietnamese victory also foiled the highly
anticipated quarterfinal duel between Hidayat and top
seed Chen, who survived the rash of upsets with a
21-14, 21-18 win over Indian Anand Pawar to advance
against Malaysian Kwong Beng Chan.

Chan outlasted Taiwanese Hsieh Yu Hsin, 15-21, 21-12,
21-18.
Hashim, who defeated brother Roslin to reign in last
year’s inaugurals, blew a first set lead and went
down, 13-21, 23-21, 21-13 to Russian Stanislav Pukhov,
who is outside of the world’s top 100 but now inside
the last 16 of the $120,000 event sponsored by Bingo
Bonanza Corp.

The Asuncions, who reached a high No. 11 ranking in the
world a couple of months ago but has tumbled down to
No. 31 in the latest BWF ranking, likewise kissed
their title bid goodbye in the mixed doubles as they
succumbed to the taller, quicker Taiwanese pair of Yu
Chin Chien and Yu Hsin Hsieh, 16-21, 16-21, in a round
of 32 clash to the chagrin of the sizeable local crowd
who cheered the last of the local entries in the
tournament. “We know we’re facing a stronger opponent,” said
Kennevic, who also bowed out in the men’s singles
Wednesday. “We tried to match their strength and power
with quickness but they’re just too strong.”
Although 20 rungs behind the world 31st ranked
Asuncion tandem, the Chien-Hsieh duo proved stronger,
quicker as they came away with a series of power
smashes to turn back the Filipinos.
“We played them before and we lost to them the first
time we met,” said Kennie, referring to their defeat
at the hands of Chien and Hsieh in the Macau Open last
year.
“They’re really more skilled and stronger and they
showed it in this game,” she added.
Chien and Hsieh, who shocked fourth pick Katrin
Piotrowski and Ingo Kindervater of Germany, 21-17,
21-14, in Wednesday’s first round, face Koreans Hwang
Yu Mi and Sang Hoon Han, who bested Anastasia Russkikh
of Russia and Rasmus Mangor Andersen of Denmark ,
21-16, 21-14.

Second seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia joined Chen in
the next round as he eked out a 13-21, 21-15, 21-16
victory over Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia to forge a
duel with No. 11 Andrew Smith of England, who survived
an upset try by Lee Hyun Il of Korea, 22-24, 21-19,
21-13.

Mixed doubles top seed Lilyana Natsir and Nova
Widianto overpowered Birgit Overzier and Kristof Hopp
of  Germany , 21-13, 21-8, to advance.
Another Indonesian pair, No. 2 Vita Marissa and Flandy
Limpele, also made it trough following an easy 21-13,
21-6 smashing of Wai Chee Louisa Koon and Wai Ho Hui
of Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Saina Nehwal of India, winner of the
ladies singles crown last year, was upset by Chinese
Zhu Jingjing, who survived the grueling 3-game
qualifier before knocking out the Indian teener.