Easier for Chong Wei without Lin Dan

2009/09/23

By K.M. Boopathy

WITH China's Lin Dan out of the way, Lee Chong Wei looks good to win the Japan Open which begins in Tokyo today and continue his fine run in the Super Series.

Chong Wei was denied his first title in China when Lin Dan bagged the China Masters on Sunday but the World No 1 is not expected to falter a second time.

Although China Masters runner-up Boonsak Ponsana will be in Chong Wei's path in the first round, the Malaysian should come through based on his better track record against the Thai.

Chong Wei's second-round encounter is also expected to be tricky where he is likely to play Simon Santoso before another Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro awaits him in the quarter-finals.

Sony could be Chong Wei's toughest hurdle as the Indonesian came out better when the pair met at the World Championships in India last month.

However, Chong Wei should have enough firepower to down Sony and another Indonesian, Taufik Hidayat, in the last four.

The withdrawal of second seed Chen Jin means Peter Gade Christensen will probably be the player Chong Wei will meet in the title match and the Malaysian is favoured to clinch his second Japan Open title.

Men's doubles Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Zakry Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari are poised to meet in the semi-finals following the withdrawal of South Korea's third seeds Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae.

Zakry-Fairuz were drawn to meet the Koreans in the quarter-finals but now have an easier passage to the last four.

The Malaysian pair open against Songphon Anugritayawon-Sudket Prapakamol of Thailand, then have to deal with Taiwan's Chen Hung Ling-Lin Yu Lang before a likely quarter-final showdown against Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan-Bona Septano or Yonathan Dasuki-Rian Sukmawan.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong, for their part, will open against Japan's Kenichi Hayakawa-Kenta Kazuno and then have another Japanese pair, Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata in their path in the second round before a quarter-final clash against Americans Tony Guanawan-Howard Bach.

Winning the title will be a challenging task for Kien Keat-Boon Heong or Zakry-Fairuz as they must overcome Indonesia's Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan, who are back to competition after a two-month layoff, in the final.