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Malaysian men’s singles player Justin Hoh (pictured) fought valiantly in his first-round match against Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke at the Hong Kong Open yesterday, but was ultimately eliminated.
Justin, whose world ranking recently climbed to No. 57, did not make it easy for the world No. 26 Gemke. The match at the Hong Kong Coliseum stretched for an hour and 10 minutes, with Justin eventually falling 7-21, 23-21, 18-21.
This marked the second time the 20-year-old Justin has faced Gemke, with both encounters ending in defeats. Their clash in the Thomas Cup group stage earlier this year was also a marathon, lasting 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Justin’s ranking has risen rapidly after reaching the quarterfinals of the Super 300 Taiwan Open on the World Tour recently.
Also exiting in the first round was Ng Tze Yong, who lost 19-21, 10-21 to France’s Christo Popov.
In mixed doubles, Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie advanced to the second round after a swift 27-minute victory, defeating South Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun and Eom Hye Won 21-11, 21-14.
The Malaysian pair, ranked No. 12 in the world, will face India’s Sumit Reddy and Sikki Reddy in today’s second round.
Joining them in the mixed doubles bracket are Hoo Pang Ron and Cheng Su Yin, who beat Singapore’s Terry Hee and Jessica Tan 21-17, 21-16, while Yap Roy King and Valeree Siow also progressed with a 21-11, 21-16 win over Hong Kong’s Deng Chi Fai and Leung Yuet Yee.
However, veteran mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon and Lai Pei Jing were eliminated after a 21-18, 14-21, 11-21 loss to China’s Cheng Xingzhang and Zhang Xingzhang.
In men’s doubles, national players Lin Zhi Jian and Wong Tien Ci came from behind to defeat Taiwan’s Liu Kuan Heng and Yang Po Han 13-21, 21-14, 21-16.
They will face third-seeded Korean duo Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae, who defeated Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani 21-12, 21-17. Women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei also ended her campaign in the first round, losing 7-21, 22-24 to South Korea’s Kim Ga Eun.
