by Ian Marshall, Editor
Success against a highest listed partnership; they were not alone as China imposed its authority on proceedings.
Xu Haidong and Guo Yuhan, the no.30 seeds, beat Romania’s Cristian Pletea and Andreea Dragoman, the no.5 seeds (11-6, 11-7, 11-8), Xiang Peng and Huang Fanzhen, the no.11 seeds, halted the progress of Japan’s Yuta Tanaka and Miyu Nagasaki, the no.3 seeds (11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9).
Wins for Chinese pairs contrary to status; there was also the reverse scenario. Yu Heyi and Qian Tianyi, the no.4 seeds, accounted for the combination of Belgum’s Laurens Devos and Slovenia’s Aleksandra Vovk, the no.36 seeds (11-7, 11-3, 11-9); Xu Yingbin and Shi Xunyao, listed alongside Cristian Pletea and Andreea Dragoman in the no.5 seeded spot, added to Japanese woes, they beat Kakeru Sone and Satsuki Odo, the no.15 seeds (11-9, 11-2, 9-11, 11-1).
Difficult times for the Land of the Rising Sun but there was success; Yukiya Uda and Miyuu Kihara, the no.8 seeds, ended the adventures of Sweden’s Martin Friis and Christina Källberg, the no.44 seeded partnership (12-10, 11-5, 11-9).
The end of the road for Martin Friis and Christina Källberg, not for the French partnership of Leo de Nodrest and Lucie Gauthier, the pair who had caused a major opening round shock two days earlier by beating India’s Manav Vikash Thakkar and Archana Girish Kamath, the no.2 seeds (12-10, 11-6, 13-11). The no.20 seeds, they continued their progress, they accounted for Hong Kong’s Pau Yik Man and Lee Ka Yee, the no.31 seeds (12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 11-7).
Impressive from the French pair, in the one remaining third round Mixed Doubles contest it was impressive from Chinese Taipei; Feng Yi-Hsin and Su Pei-Ling, the no.7 seeds, caused Romania more pain, they ended the hopes of Rares Sipos and Tania Plaian, the no.11 seeds (11-7, 11-9, 11-8).
At the quarter-final stage Vladimir Sidorenko and Mariia Tailakova meet Xu Haidong and Gu Yuhan, Yukiya Uda and Miyuu Kihara confront Yu Heyi and Qian Tianyi; in the adjacent half of the draw Xiang Peng and Huang Fanzhen face Feng Yi-Hsin and Su Pei-Ling, Xu Yingbin and Shi Xunyao oppose Leo de Nodrest and Lucie Gauthier.
The matches will be played later in the day.
