DENMARK OPEN 2016 R32 – Tough day for favourites

Carolina Marin was one point away from losing her first match, Lee Chong Wei was also troubled on Day 2 while China’s top seeds had to retire – all in all, a tough day for some of the favourites in rainy Denmark today.

By: Raphael Sachetat. Photos (live): Arthur Van der Velde and Yohan Nonotte / Badmintonphoto

A stomach flu could have cost Carolina Marin the loss of her fist match since her Olympic gold medal. Her opponent, Julie Dawall Jakobsen (photo) would certainly have loved to be the one beating the best player on the planet, on home soil, but that wasn’t meant to be: she wasn’t able to convert that match point she got while leading 21-20 in the decider. But Marin is no first timer when it comes to money time and she was able to get the serve back and close it down for a final 21-13, 16-21, 24-22 success – she will take on Korea’s Kim Na Young on Thursday.

Lee Chong Wei wasn’t far from the same fate as he was trailing 16-21, 11-17 to Wei Nan from Hong Kong before he geared up and got back to one game all and won the decider easily, but the top seed will have to boost his speed for next round, when he takes on the talented H. S. Prannoy (photo), who also went the extra distance when he won 22-20 in the third game over Chong Wei Feng.  In the men’s double, China’s top seeds Chai Biao and Hong Wei could not compete and had to retire just few minutes after the beginning of the match.

Home.. disadvantage…

It was not a good day for Denmark in the men’s singles, where Jan Jorgensen bit the dust against China’s newcomer Shi Yuqi, in three games. The Dane, third seed, went down 16-21, 21-19, 14-21 to the 2014 Youth Olympic gold medallist.  That leaves Viktor Axelsen as th sole seed for the host nation in this category as Hans -ian Vittinghus was also beaten by Son Wan Ho, in straight games. Youngster Anders Antonsen advanced to the next stage thanks to a convincing win over Hsu Jen Hao.

The home disadvantage struck in men’s doubles too, as 3^rd seeds Mads Pieler Kolding and Mads Petersen lost to Japan’s Keigo Sonoda and Takeshi Kamura (pictured bottom) in straight games. It would have been disastrous day for hosts if Chen Hung Ling and Wang Chi Lin had converted that match point against Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen (pictured left), but the Danes managed to keep cool when it mattered and took it home in three games 21-14, 19-21, 22-20.

The only non-Danish – and non-#3 – seeds to lose on Wednesday played only three points for the week.  Men’s doubles top seeds Chai Biao and Hong Wei retired at 2-1 in the opening game, allowing Dutch Open runners-up Mathias Christiansen / David Daugaard to appear in the second round as the third Danish pair.

Click here for complete Wednesday results