Tommy leads Indonesian shuttlers to quarterfinals

Tommy Sugiarto defeated the World Junior Champion as Indonesian shuttlers take five spots in the quarterfinals of the Hong Kong Open Superseries 2013 at the Coliseum Stadium.

Tommy secured his ticket in the men’s singles event after ousting World Junior Champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-17, 21-15.

Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the men’s singles, Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan in the men’s doubles, Praveen Jordan/Vita Marissa and Markis Kido/Pia Zebadiah Bernadet in the mixed doubles events also went through to the next stage.

Veteran Sony beat India’s Ajay Jayaram 21-18, 21-12 to avenge his defeat in their first encounter in Indonesia Open Superseries Premier in Jakarta in June.

Top seeded Hendra/Ahsan easily cruised past China’s Kang Jun/Liu Cheng 22-20, 21-13 in just 30 minutes.

“That’s the difference between young players and more experienced ones. Kang/Liu easily collected points but also made many mistakes, which consequently benefited their opponents. While Hendra/Ahsan employed restraint and showed their quality,” coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said in a press statement.

Hendra/Ahsan will play either Olympic gold medalists Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng of China or Russia’s Vladimir Ivanov/Ivan Sozonov.

“Last year we played Cai/Fu in this very tournament and they defeated us. If we meet again we are quite optimistic about our chances of beating them,” Ahsan said.

They last played Cai/Fu in the Indonesia Open Superseries Premier in Jakarta where Hendra/Ahsan beat them 21-18, 21-13.

Mixed doubles pair Markis/Pia won over host pair Wong Wai Hong/Chan Hung Yung 21-17, 21-18, while Praveen/Vita defeated Germany’s Max Schwenger/Carla Nelte 21-16, 21-14.

Markis/Pia will next play China’s Liu Cheng/Bao Yixin who beat them in the Japan Open Superseries in September, while Praveen/Vita will face hosts Lee Chun Hei/Chau Hoi Wah.

Sony who will hit 30 next year said that in his current age, he had to put in more effort to keep his body in shape and maintain his stamina.

“Believing in myself and just enjoying the game motivates me to compete with younger shuttlers,” he said.