Gopi in second round

TOKYO, Jan 13: India's P Gopi Chand rallied from being a game behind to beat Japan's Fumihiko Machida to enter the second round of the $200,...

TOKYO, Jan 13: India’s P Gopi Chand rallied from being a game behind to beat Japan’s Fumihiko Machida to enter the second round of the $200,000 Japan Open badminton tournament on Tuesday. Gopi Chand, runner-up at the Indian Open last year, won 5-15, 15-6, 15-11. Former world champion Joko Sprianto faced a spirited challenge from Japan’s Shuichi Nakao in another match.

The 1993 world champion from Indonesia, whose former number one ranking has plumetted to 24th this week, was stretched to a three-point setting in the first game before scoring a 17-14, 15-11 victory in 49 minutes. Unseeded Sprianto, the Japan Open champion here two years ago, is seeking his first title since winning the US Open in September 1996.

The three-event Asian Tour — the Taipei, Japan and Korean Open — became a single event this season after the Seoul event was scrapped due to the country’s financial problems, while the Taipei Open was merged with the Indian Open to be held in November at the request of International Badminton Federation.

Story continues below this ad

Joint ninth seed Fung Permadi, Sprianto’s former team-mate who now represents Taiwan, became the first seeded player to fall on the first day. The 1996 Grand Prix winner bowed to Roslin Hashim of Malaysia 5-15, 11-15 after failing to keep a 4-1 lead in the first and a wide 11-4 lead in the second game.

Other ninth seeds coasted to straight forward victories except Jeroen van Dijk of the Netherlands, who needed 59 minutes to dispose of Japan’s Hidetaka Yamada 15-8, 12-15, 15-6.

China’s Chen Gang and Luo Yigang, Malaysia’s Ong Ewe Hock and Yong Hock Kin and Indonesia’s Indra Wijaya, Budi Santoso were other ninth seeds to join Dijk into the second round.