Mixed doubles carry local hopes

SINGAPORE — The welcome result came late, but it meant there will still be local interest at the US$300,000 (S$374,510) OUE Singapore Open when the quarter-finals get under way today at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Mixed doubles pair Vanessa Neo and Danny Bawa Chrisnanta upset fifth-seeded Saralee Thoungthongkam and Sudket Prapakamol 21-12, 21-18, picking up their first ever victory over the world ranked 7th Thais in five meetings.

Neo and Chrisnanta will take on China’s Liu Cheng and Bao Yixin today after two other of the Republic’s representatives failed to clear the second round.

Earlier, the slumped shoulders on Court 2 told the story of what could have been, as Derek Wong pondered his defeat to lower-ranked Indian Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati.

Not since the 2010 edition when Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari won the women’s doubles title have local fans had much to cheer about at their home event.

The pair’s run at this year’s event ended last night with a tame 36-minute straight games defeat to South Korea’s Ko A Ra and Yoo Hae Won (21-9, 21-11).

A revamp triggered by poor performances at last year’s Singapore Open and December SEA Games saw Liu Qingdong appointed to head the national badminton team.

Wong’s thrilling three-game victory over higher-ranked Han-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark (No 13) on Wednesday promised much. But the world no 43 was left to rue his mistakes after squandering numerous opportunities against Praneeth in the first game before losing 24-22.

A swift, smash-heavy attack in the second saw Wong storming to a 6-1 lead, but Praneeth’s game of patience wore out the Singaporean. The Indian national drew level at 13-13 before winning a see-saw battle 21-19.

“I am so disappointed because I was neck to neck at 22-22 in the first set but lost the crucial points,” said a dejected Wong.

“My opponent was very steady and made few mistakes today. I just didn’t have enough patience today.

“If we had gone to a rubber game it would still be 50-50 but I just didn’t hold on to the game.”

No such disappointment for world No 1 Malaysian Lee Chong Wei who notched an easy 21-11, 21-6 victory over China’s Chen Yuekun to set up a meeting with Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk today.

Lee had claimed at a dinner event on Tuesday that he wanted to win his fourth title this season here, but was surprisingly cautious yesterday as he said: “This competition is not important to me and I just want to enjoy the Singapore Open.

“There are too many competitions for me this year and I can’t win everything and I don’t want to give myself too much pressure.”

Women’s world No 1 Li Xuerui survived a scare against Japan’s Minatsu Mitani before winning 17-21, 21-19, 21-12 to earn her spot in the top eight, but Vietnam’s world No 10 Nguyen Tien Minh was not as fortunate, losing a three-setter to lower ranked Indian opponent Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar.

In a repeat of a similar 2010 incident, play on Court 3 was halted for nearly an hour from 2.55pm after rain water seeped through the roof, delaying proceedings for the rest of the day.

Singapore Sports Hub said in a statement: “It was suspected that the drip was subsequent to the torrential rain entering the smoke vents of the venue where a build-up of water permeated the roof membrane.

“To ensure that play at the OUE Badminton Open continues without any further disruptions, the maintenance operator will return to the roof once play comes to a close tonight to further inspect the roof membrane and address any further concerns.”