China which dominates the mixed doubles, Japan which mourns its women’s doubles and solid Danes in the men’s draw, a look back at what happened this Thursday in Tokyo in badminton.
A Chinese mixed doubles final
Logic respected in the mixed doubles table. Respectively seeded n°1 and n°2, the doubles Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong and Wang Yi Lyu/Wang Dong Ping logically qualified for the final. Opposed to a double from Hong Kong, the world No. 1 did not go into detail by winning dryly in two sets (21/16 21/12). The Chinese pair will find the other favorites in the final, also Chinese, who had more difficulty getting rid of the Japanese duo composed of Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino. Winners of the first round, the Japanese will be dominated in the next two, letting the match and qualification slip away at the expense of Wang and Huang. As in 2012 in London, China will therefore climb on the two highest steps of the podium.
No surprises among the ladies
Difficult to see a logic as respected as in the women’s individual table. At the end of the eliminatory round and on the eve of the quarter-finals, the eight qualified players are quite simply the top eight players in the world according to the ranking established before the Olympic tournament. Better, the latter have almost all won their match of the day in two straight sets. Among the outstanding performances, we can note the tour de force of the Japanese Nozomi Okahura against the Canadian Michelle Li (21/9 21/7), but also the qualification of the Chinese He Bingjao, named winner against the American Beiwen Zhang as she lost the first set (14/21 9/7).
As a reminder, the Chinese Chen Yufei and the Taiwanese Tai Tzu-ying had been exempted from the first knockout round and were immediately qualified for the quarter-finals. Before attacking the quarters, there is no longer any competitor not coming from the Asian continent in a category where the Spaniard Carolina Marín had put an end to the Asian hegemony in Rio.
1/2 for Indonesia in men’s doubles
Indonesia had placed two doubles in the quarter-finals of the men’s draw, but only one qualified for the semi-finals! Opposed to the Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo failed to take the slightest run, thus being eliminated and leaving Tokyo for the slightest medal. For those who arrived as seeded No. 1 and favorites, the disappointment is significant. On the other side of the table, their compatriots Mohammad Assan and Hendra Setiawan ensured their qualification for the last four, not without difficulty. After taking the first set (21/14), the Singaporeans let their Japanese opponents take the second (21/16) before crushing the deciding set (21/9). They will therefore represent the last medal hopes of a nation that has not won a medal in men’s doubles since their coronation in 2008.
In the other two quarter-finals, the Taiwanese and Chinese pairs respectively eliminated the Japanese and Danish ones. Third and fourth in the ranking, the Taiwanese and the Chinese therefore respected the logic, although the latter were pushed to the third set. Apart from the surprise elimination of the best in the world, the logic was generally respected.
Disaster for Japan
With real chances of medals in women’s doubles, Japan will finally draw a blank in this category after the elimination of its two pairs in contention in this table. Against the Koreans Kim Soyeong and Kong Heeyong, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara will have given everything. Third women’s doubles before starting this tournament, the Japanese will have been taken to the third set, finally losing the latter 28 to 26, thus depriving Mayu Matsumoto of a potential double after her title in Rio with Ayaka Takahashi. Same fate for their compatriots Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota, world n°2, taken out by the favorites Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan in three sets.
In the other part of the table, the Singaporeans Greysia Polli and Apriyani Rahayu as well as the Koreans Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan have won their ticket for the last four and will compete for a place in the final.
Danes in tune
In a discipline where Asian countries dominate, the Danes Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen have so far managed to hold their own. Opposed to the Taiwanese Wang Tzu-wei and the Briton Toby Penty, the Scandinavians won in straight and both reached the quarter-finals. Third non-Asian qualified for the quarterfinals, the surprising Guatemalan Kevin Cordón beat the Dutchman Mark Caljouw in three sets to join Heo Kwang-hee, executioner of the Japanese world No. 1 Kento Momota in the group stage, in the next round.
Other results include the qualification of reigning Olympic champion Chen Long for the quarter-finals. Faced with Malaysian Lee Zii Jia, the Chinese was pushed into the third set, a set he dominated head and shoulders (21/5).
See you tomorrow for the rest of the competition in the different draws, with in particular the outcome in mixed doubles, but also the semi-finals of men’s doubles and the quarter-finals of women’s singles.
Feature image credit: Getty Images
Louis Rousseau
The words “Minnesota Miracle” and “No-Call” are scratched from my vocabulary. My heart mourns the retirement of Drew Brees as my eyes finally widen watching the Knicks.
