Vietnamese players win at Vietnam Open Badminton C’ship

http://www.saigontimes.com.vn/daily/detail.asp?muc=3&Sobao=2821&SoTT=19

Vietnam's No.1 player Nguyen Tien Minh makes a backhand in his match against Wong Wai Hong in HCMC yesterday.
By HUY NGUYEN

(SGT-HCMC) The top seeds won all their matches at the Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2006 yesterday, including both the remaining Vietnamese players who overpowered their opponents during the HCMC tournament.

The third seed Nguyen Tien Minh, who is Vietnam’s No. 1 ranked player but 60th in the world rankings, overcame 128th-ranked Wong Wai Hong of Hong Kong 21-15 in the first set, and then cruised into the next round with an easy 21-9 score in the second deciding set.

However, perhaps more noteworthy and surprising was Vietnam’s Nguyen Quang Minh’s victory over the 5th seed Hsein Yu-Hsing of Taiwan 15-21, 21-14 and 21-13 in the later game, since he is unseeded.

Meanwhile, top seed Andrew Smith (ranked 15th in the world), survived a scare against Djohan Erwin of Singapore, who is ranked 153rd in the world, to eventually win 2-0. The British player beat the Singaporean 21-17 in the first set and 21-16 in the second set, though it was a close contest.

Then Hong Kong’s Chan Yan Kit, who is ranked 26th in the world, had a fight on his hands before reached to the next round after eventually beating Malaysia’s Wong Beryno 18-21, 21-13 and 26-24.

Elsewhere, in men’s doubles event Hong Chieng Hun and Chew Choon Eng of Malaysia beat Duong Bao Duc and Nguyen Quoc Thai of Vietnam 2-0; Dremin Evgenij and Vasiljev Alexej of Russia knocked out Khoo Kian Teck and Koh Yan Sen of Singapore 2-0; and Chien Yu Hsun and Lin Yu Lang of Taiwan overpowered Lo Lok Ki and Lueng Chun Yiu of Hong Kong at the same score.
In the women’s doubles Chong Sook Chin and Kaur Anita Raj of Malaysia defeated the host nation’s doubles pairing of Pham Thi Trang and Vu Thi Trang 2-0, whilst another Vietnamese doubles team comprising Nguyen Thi Be Tram and Tran Huynh Nga also lost 0-2 to Bae Seung Hee and Kang Joo Young of Korea, and South Korea’s Kwon Hee Sook and Kim Mi Joo also beat Wong Sin Yee and Mong Kwan Yi of Hong Kong 2-0.

Today the tournament will begin at 9 a.m. with the men’s singles and doubles followed by the women’s singles and doubles, then the mixed doubles.

About 81 men and 41 women from England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the USA and Vietnam registered to fight out the men’s singles and doubles, the women’s singles and doubles, and the mixed doubles.

The US$30,000 tournament has attracted 53 entries for the men’s singles; 30 for the women’s singles; 24 for the men’s doubles; 13 for the women’s doubles; and 19 for the mixed doubles.

The top international tournament is taking place in HCMC until this Sunday at Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Sports Stadium in District 3