* Wei Feng clears first round with ease
* Zulfadli also clears first hurdle and gets free ride into third round
* Malaysians also do well in men’s doubles and mixed doubles
After suffering back-to-back exits in the first round – in the Canada Open and the Taiwan Open – Malaysia’s No 2 shuttler Chong Wei Feng checked the slide with a 21-15, 21-19 win in 28 minutes over Russia’s Vladimir Ivanov in his opening round match in the USD50,000 Russian Open Grand Prix in Vladivostok on Wednesday.
World Championship bound Zulfadli Zulkifli also cleared the first round with comparative ease. taking only 19 minutes to breeze past another Russian Grigorly Martynenko 21-17, 21-3. The former Asian and world junior champion earned a free ride into round three as there was no match between Russia’s Alexander Butovetstkiy and Canada’s Martin Giuffre in the first round. Wei Feng, the newly crowned SEA Games champion will face Czech’s Jan Frolich in the second round.
In the men’s doubles Malaysia’s No 1 pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong won 21-14, 21-15 against Russians Rodion Kargaev- Anatoliy Yartsev in 27 minutes to set up a second round match against Kazakhstan pair Khaitmural Kulmatov-Artur Niyazov – 21-14, 21-10 winners over Vladimir Shipilenko-Kirill Timofeev of Russia.
It was a good start for V Shem-Wee Kiong who are looking at a good outing in the Russian Open to boost their confidence for next month’s World Championships in Jakarta (Aug 10-16) after a roller coaster run in recent times – including a first round defeat in the Singapore SEA Games in June.
Malaysia’s No 2 pair Mak Hee Chun-Teo Kok Siang advanced to the second round without lifting their racquet after receiving a walkover from England’s Marcus Ellis-Chris Langridge to earn an all-Malaysian clash against former national players Hoon Thien How-Lim Khim Wah.
Independent players Thien How-Khim Wah defeated homesters Evgenij Dremin-Denis Grachev 21-19, 21-17 in a 34 minute battle.
Another independent pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, seeded seven, also had a free ride into the second round after getting a walkover from the Japanese pair of Taiki Shimada-Hiroki Takeuchi.
In the mixed doubles the two Malaysian pairs cleared the first round with Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying getting a walkover from the Russian pair of Gordey Kosenko-Olga Lipkina while Wong Fai Yin-Chow Mei Kuan beat Vladimir Shipilenko-Valeriia Makkoveeva 21-16, 21-10 in only 16 minutes.
SELECTED FIRST ROUND RESULTS
MEN
Singles
Chong Wei Feng (Mas) beat Vladimir Ivanov (Rus) 21-15, 21-9
Zulfadli Zulkifli (Mas) beat Grigorly Martynenko (Rus) 21-7, 21-3
Misha Zulberman (Isr) beat Zulhelmi Zulkifli (Mas) 21-17, 21-15
Tommy Sugiarto (Ina) walkover from Rhys Walker (Eng)
Ajay Jayaram (Ind) beat Kirill Timofeev (Rus) 21-7, 21-7
Brice Leverdez (Fra) walkover from Gordey Kosenkco (Rus)
Doubles
Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) walkover from Taiki Shimada-Hiroki Takeuchi (Jpn)
Manu Attri-B. Sumeeth Reddy (Ind) beat Zulfaiz Zulkifli-Zulhelmi Zulkifli (Mas) 21-11, 21-15
Mak Hee Chun-Teo Kok Siang (Mas) walkover from Marcus Ellis-Chris Langridge (Eng)
Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) beat Rodion Kargaev-Anatoliy Yartev (Rus) 21-14, 21-15
Hoon Thien How-Lim Khim Wah (Mas) beat Evgeniv Dremin-Denis Grachev (Rus) 21-19, 21-17
Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Sozonov (Rus) beat Lee Yan Sheng-Lin Woon Fui (Mas) 21-11, 11-3 (rtd)
Mixed Doubles
Wong Fai Yin-Chow Mei Kuan (Mas) beat Vladimir Shipilenko-Valeriia Makkoveeva (Rus) 21-6, 21-10
Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (Mas) walkover from Gordey Kosenko-Olga Lipkina (Rus)
