Peter Gade cleared the first hurdle yesterday in his bid for the men’s singles title at the World Super Series Masters Finals with a 21-12, 21-15 win over compatriot Jan Jorgensen.
Gade, the Dane who was runner-up last year, scored his second win over Jorgensen within a month in the Group B encounter, having beaten him in the recent Hong Kong Open.
In a Group A match, China’s lone representative, Bao Chunlai, also got off to a winning start with a 21-18, 26-24 win over Indonesian Taufik Hidayat.
It was an all-Malaysian battle in the men’s doubles Group A match, with Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari pulling off an upset straight sets 21-15, 21-17 win over top seeds Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong.
China’s and Indonesia’s top shuttlers skipped the season-ending tournament, citing other commitments.
Indonesia pulled out men’s doubles pair Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan and Mohd Ahsan-Bona Septano as well as singles players Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso.
“Hopefully this win will be the stepping stone for better things to come for us after a spate of poor results,” said Zakry, describing the win as a big boost to their career.
Koo gave no excuses for the defeat but said: “We have yet to get the feel of this tournament. But we hope to improve in our coming matches for a top-two finish in the group for a place in the semi-finals.”
Gade, who lost to Jorgensen in the Denmark Open this year and the Indonesian Open last year, said: “It is a good start for me. I used my mental strength to overcome Jorgensen, who has improved tremendously over the last few months.”
In an-all Taiwanese clash in the women’s doubles second seeds Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin beat Chou Chia-chi and Chang Li-ying 21-12, 21-6.
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