# Malaysian ace Chong Wei falls to Korean Son Wan-ho in Group B match
# V Shem-Wee Kiong get walkover from Danes Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen in men’s doubles
# Vivian Hoo-Khe Wei also fall in first match in women’s doubles
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By Rizal Abdullah
Four-time winner Datuk Lee Chong Wei got his Dubai World Superseries Finals campaign on the wrong footing when he lost his opening Group B match to South Korea’s Son Wan-ho at the Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai on Wednesday.
The 34-year World No 1 went down tamely 10-21, 16-21 in 38 minutes and was quick to admit that he was not in good shape after a two-month layoff following a hamstring injury he sustained while playing in the Yonex Denmark Open in October.
“I made many mistakes, especially in the first match. It was my first match after the injury and it affected my overall performance. I did try to make a comeback in the second set by it did not happen.
“I have to pick up from the defeat and look forward to my next match (against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long),” said Chong Wei who was named the Best Male Player of the Year two days before the tournament got underway.
Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei were also in the losing end in their opening Group B match when they lost 7-21, 17-21 to Rio Olympics silver medallist Kamilla Rhytter Juhl-Christinna Pedersen of Denmark in 36 minutes.
The only good news for the Malaysian shuttlers came in the men’s doubles when World No 1 Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong made a “winning start” to their Dubai campaign in Group B without lifting a their racquet after Denmark’s Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen withdrew when due to illness.
Olympic and world champion Carolina Marin of Spain, who ended the season without a superseries title once again felt the Asian “heat” when China Sun Yu carved out a 21-18, 24-22 win over the Spaniard in their opening women’s singles Group B match.
India;s P.V. Sindhu, this year’s “Most Improved Player” made a bright start in Dubai when the Rio Olympics silver medallist came back from a set down to beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 12-21, 21-8, 21-15.
While enjoying her reign as the world No 1 Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan, the top seed in Dubai, made shortwork of China’s He Bingjiao with a 21-16, 21-13 win.
Only the top two in each group after the completion of the round robin matches will advance to the next round.
Rio Olympics mixed doubles champions Tontowi Ahmad- Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia also made a losing start in Group A when they went down 21-11, 21-12 to compatriots and All England champions Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto.
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RESULTS
Men’s singles
GROUP A
Tian Houwei (Chn) beat Marc Zwiebler (Ger) 21-15, 21-17
Jan O Jorgensen (Den) beat Hu Yun (Hkg) 21-8, 21-5
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GROUP B
San Wan-ho (Kor) beat Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 21-10, 21-16
Viktor Axelsen (Den) beat Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) 21-13, 21-17
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Women’s singles
GROUP A
Sung Ji-hyun (Kor) beat Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-19, 21-12
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) beat He Bingjiao (Chn) 21-16, 21-13
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GROUP B
Sun Yu (Chn) beat Carolina Marin (Spn) 21-18, 24-22
P.V. Sindhu (Ind) beat Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) 12-21, 21-8, 21-15
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Men’s doubles
GROUP A
Mads Conrad Petersen-Mads Pieler Kolding (Den) beat Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) 21-15, 21-17
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Ina) beat Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi (Ina) 21-18, 17-21, 21-14
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GROUP B
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas0 w/o Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den)
Chai Biao=Hong Wei (Chn) beat Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen (Chn) 21-18, 16-21, 21-15
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Women’s doubles
GROUP A
Chang Ye-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) beat Luo Ying-Luo Yu (Chn) 21-19, 21-15
Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) beat Naoko Fukuman- Kurumi Yonao (Jpn) 21-19, 21-19
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GROUP B
Kamilla Rhytter Juhl-Christinna Pedersen (Den) beat Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei (Mas) 21-7, 21-17
Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) beat Jung Kyung-eun-Shin Seung-chan (Kor) 21-18, 21-13Ā
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Mixed doubles
GROUP A
Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) beat Ko Sung-hyun-Kim Ha-na (Kor) 21-14, 21-23, 21-16
Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto (Ina) beat Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) 21-11, 21-12
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GROUP B
Zheng Siwei-Chen Qingchen (Chn) beat Lu Kai-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) 21-18, 13-21, 21-14
Chris Adcock-Gabrielle Adcock (Eng) beat Kenta Kazuno-Ayane Kurihara (Jpn) 21-15, 21-9
