KOREA OPEN 2011 R16 – Overdue payback for young Japanese

Sayaka Sato finally scored a victory over Indian star Saina Nehwal advancing to the quarter-finals along with compatriot Tago Kenichi.

By Don Hearn, Badzine Correspondent live in Seoul.  Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto

Consecutive second round matches on the TV court at the 2011 Victor Korea Open Premier Super Series were rematches of recent World Junior Championship finals.  For China Open champion Chen Long and All England runner-up Tago Kenichi, however, that 2007 final in New Zealand is almost ancient history, considering their lofty ranking and many successes.

For Japan’s Sayaka Sato, however, it is a very different story.  Unlike her compatriot Tago, she has never been inches away from entering the top 10 –having stopped just short of the #20 spot last summer – nor is she the top ranked woman in her country, a crucial distinction in the year before the Olympics.

In fact, Sato’s only flash in the pan of senior tour success came last summer in Indonesia, which ended in another defeat to her same opponent from that 2008 WJC final in Pune, India.

But Sato found herself having to fight back in this match, too.  She dropped the first game and was 4-8 down early in the second before she pulled her game together and started taking charge, which she finally did, finishing the match 17-21, 21-19, 21-11.

“I think I made a lot fewer mistakes than I did the last time I played Saina,” said an elated Sayaka Sato after the match.

Her next contest will be a very different position for her as she is playing against Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, whom she hasn’t played since enjoying two victories over her at those same World Juniors just over 2 years ago.  Despite this similar losing record against Sato, Porntip had told Badzine that she was hoping to play Sato in the quarter-finals, rather than Saina.

“Tomorrow will still be difficult, as Porntip has also improved a lot since we played in 2008,” said Sato, “but I will play my best of course.  My target for this year is to start accumulating points to qualify for the Olympics.”

Earlier, Tago Kenichi (pictured) was in a very different position against Chen Long.  He is now a very different player from the one who lost to Chen in 2007 and again in 2009.  In fact, just last week, of course, he scored a second win in a year over Chen’s compatriot Bao Chunlai.  Still 4^th-seeded Chen edged out the Japanese challenger 22-20 in the first game but Tago got the upper hand in the second, scraping by 23-21 before taking the third comfortably.

In fact, the other two Chinese seeds in the top half of the men’s singles draw also fell, leaving Tago to play China’s Du Pengyu while it will be Wang Zhengming, victor over World Champion Chen Jin, who will take on defending champion Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.  Lee was never in danger of losing a first ever battle with home favourite Park Sung Hwan, winning easily 21-14, 21-9 (pictured).

For complete second round results from the 2011 Victor Korea Open Premier Super Series, CLICK HERE

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