by Ian Marshall, Editor
Surprises, they did occur but those of note in the doubles rather than singles events.
Men’s Singles
…………Ma Long, the no.11 seed, opened his account by beating Japan’s Mizuki Oikawa (11-6, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5).
…………Mattias Falck, the no.16 seed, experienced defeat at the hands of China’s Yu Ziyang (8-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5.
…………Frenchman Simon Gauzy caused the biggest upset of the day; in the opening round he accounted for Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu (6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7).
…………Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej excelled expectations; he recorded a first round win against Korea Republic’s Jang Woojin, the no.10 seed (11-9, 1-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9).
…………China’s Fan Zhendong, the top seed, made a most imposing start; he overcame India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7).
Women’s Singles
…………Wang Manyu stated her case, the no.4 seed, in the opening round she beat Russia’s Polina Mikhailova (11-9, 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7).
…………China’s Ding Ning, the top seed, made an emphatic start; she accounted for Japan’s Miyuu Kihara (11-8, 11-3, 11-9, 8-11, 16-14).
…………Crowned world champion just over one month ago, China’s Liu Shiwen, the no.5 seed, stated her case. She overcame colleague Gu Yuting (7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4).
…………Two years ago Austria’s Sofia Polcanova had lost to the Japan’s Hitomi Sato in the opening round; this year she reversed the decision. She beat the no.12 seed in seven games (11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8).
…………Chinese Taipei’s Chen Szu-Yu caused the biggest upset of the round, she accounted for Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem, the no.11 seed (11-5, 11-4, 11-7, 11-13, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8).
Men’s Doubles
…………Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson and Jon Persson caused a major opening round upset; they beat China’s Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan, the no.7 seeds and bronze medallists at the recent Liebherr 2019 World Championships (12-10, 11-7, 11-13, 11-5).
…………Germany’s Timo Boll and Patrick Franziska upset the seeding; in the first round they overcame Chinese Taipei’s Lia Cheng-Ting and Lin Yun-Ju, the no.2 seeds (10-12, 8-11, 11-3, 11-1, 11-6).
…………Korea Republic’s Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu, the top seeds, opened their account in style; they beat Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia and João Monteiro, bronze medallists at the recent Liebherr 2019 World Championships (11-8, 11-3, 11-2).
Women’s Doubles
…………Japanese teenagers Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki caused a major opening round upset; they beat the no.2 seeds, the combination of Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova and the Czech Republic’s Hana Matelova (12-10, 11-8, 12-10).
…………Honami Nakamori and Satsuki Odo excelled; the Japanese duo overcame Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem and Ng Wing Nam, the no.3 seeds, in the closest match of the whole tournament to date (10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 17-15).
…………The host nation’s Wang Manyu and Zhu Yuling, the top seeds, imposed their authority in the opening round. They ended the hopes of Austria’s Karoline Mischek and Amelie Solja (13-11, 11-6, 11-6).
Mixed Doubles
…………A new pairing, Japan’s Koki Niwa and Mima Ito upset the seeding in the opening round. They beat Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej and Barbora Balazova, the no.2 seeds (11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 13-11).
…………DPR Korea’s Ham Yu Song and Cha Hyo Sim caused a major upset; they accounted for Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit and Lee Ho Ching, the no.3 seeds (10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-1).
…………Top seeds, Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem made a successful start. They beat Laurens Tromer and Britt Eerland of the Netherlands (11-9, 11-5, 11-7).
