Top seed Tai Tzu Ying denied Michelle Li a memorable upset in the first round of the Daihatsu Indonesia Masters 2018 yesterday, saving two match points to win a thrilling Women’s Singles match 23-25 21-12 22-20.

The Canadian challenger trailed most of the third game, but caught up at 16 and surged ahead to lead 20-18. However, the top seed dug in and won the last four points to stay alive in the tournament, an HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 event.

Tai will meet compatriot Lee Chia Hsin in the second round, Lee having beaten Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt 22-20 21-11.

Malaysian qualifier Goh Jin Wei also made it to the second round, beating World Junior champion Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Indonesia). Goh has a difficult second round up next, as she faces second seed Pusarla V Sindhu (India), who beat Indonesia’s Hana Ramadhini 21-13 21-10.

Other seeds, including Nozomi Okuhara (Japan), Sung Ji Hyun (Korea), Carolina Marin (Spain), He Bingjiao (China) and Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) progressed.

India’s Saina Nehwal chalked up a creditable victory over China’s Chen Yufei 22-24 21-15 21-14.

The big story in Men’s Singles was the defeat of China’s Lin Dan to Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen, 21-15 21-19. This was Lin’s second straight first round loss as he had also fallen in the opening round in last week’s Malaysia Masters.

His compatriot Chen Long however made it comfortably past Denmark’s Anders Antonsen (24-22 21-10). Chen has an appointment with Thailand’s Suppanyu Avihingsanon. Top seed Viktor Axelsen also eased through, past Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Jen Hao 21-13 21-7.

Local favourites Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo started their 2018 campaign with a comfortable 21-16 21-16 result over Thailand’s Tinn Isriyanet/Kittisak Namdash to set up a clash against compatriots Rian Agung Saputro/Hendra Setiawan.

Saputro’s former partner Mohammad Ahsan, playing with Angga Pratama, were stopped by Denmark’s Mads Conrad-Petersen/Mads Pieler Kolding. Eighth seeds Takuto Inoue and Yuki Kaneko were upset by India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 21-15 21-17.

In Women’s Doubles, fifth seeds Lee So Hee/Shin Seung Chan decimated China’s Tang Jinhua/Yu Xiaohan 21-19 21-7 and will next face qualifiers Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Ribka Sugiarto.

Local hopefuls Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu beat compatriots Tania Oktaviani Kusumah/Vania Arianti Sukoco 21-6 21-18 and will face another local pair, Agatha Imanuela/Siti Fadia Ramadhanti.

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