World badminton champion Taufik Hidayat began the defense of his title with a solid win on Tuesday and a message to the game's governing body to update itself and use cameras to eliminate line call controversies.
"It's time the game became more professional about that," the Indonesian said after his 21-17, 21-17 win over Ng Wei of Hong Kong in the first round in the Palacio de Deportes.
It was in Hong Kong earlier in the month that Hidayat had been so upset by what he regarded as home town decisions in favor of Lin Dan, the world number one from China, that he picked up his bags and rackets and walked out after only five points.
PHOTO: AP
He had threatened to do the same thing after controversial line calls in Korea last month, and now Hidayat made clear that he did not want to suffer any more of it.
"I don't want what happened at the Hong Kong Open to happen again," he said. "I want to see cameras for line decisions, so that if anyone disputes a decision we can see whether it was right."
What Taufik had in mind was something similar to the Hawkeye computerized replays and appeals system, which produces an image from several cameras placed on different sides of the court.
This was used successfully at the US Open tennis championships in New York earlier this month, and Wimbledon is said to be considering it too.
But at the moment the International Badminton Federation has no plans to follow suit.
Hidayat's straight games win over an opponent who had been seeded to reach the last 16 was nominally an upset, but Ng was only placed in the unfortunate position of having to face the world champion in the first round because Taufik was unseeded after having problems with his back which has restricted his tournament schedule this year.
At the moment Taufik seems fit, though he is not talking up his chances.
"I'm just going to take it one game at a time," he said.
"But I'm very happy with my game, and I pleased to say that I have no injury."
He next has a comfortable-looking match against Kestutis Navickas of Lithuania, but the man most likely to suffer from such a dangerous floater in the draw is Chen Hong, the former All-England champion.
Chen is seeded to reach the last eight, but may never make it as he should face Hidayat in the last 16, though the Chinese player was in emphatic form against Pedro Yang, despite the tricky drift, and overwhelmed the experienced Guatemalan 21-11, 21-9.
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