Stunning defeat for Hidayat

Published November 4, 2005

HONG KONG, Nov 3: Indonesian Taufik Hidayat was unceremoniously bundled out of the mens singles Thursday in the third round of the 250,000-dollar Hong Kong Open against a left-handed player who has one of the best records against him.

Malaysias Wong Choong-hann had gone into the last 16 match leading 5-3 in head-to-head matches and was quietly confident of pulling off another win against the world and Olympic champion, who struggled in his opener against Hong Kongs Chan Yan-kit.

Wong capitalised on Hidayats vulnerability as he came back from a game down to eventually wear out the 24-year-old Indonesian in an upset 7-15, 15-9, 15-12 victory at Queen Elizabeth Stadium.

Hidayat, the world number four from Bandung, was at loss to explain his defeat.

Wongs success guaranteed a Malaysian would reach the semi-finals after he booked a quarter-final passage against compatriot Lee Chong-wei, the fourth seed, who stopped giant-killer Li Yu of China 15-9, 10-15, 15-8.

Li had scored a stunning upset over world number 10 Ng Wei of Hong Kong in three gruelling games Wednesday.

Also through to the quarterfinals were world number one Lin Dan of China, who defeated Malaysias Kuan Beng-hong 15-12, 15-6 and Denmarks Peter Gade, who brushed aside Hong Kongs Yohan Wiratama 15-5, 15-12.

Meanwhile, Olympic champion and top seed Zhang Ning of China easily reached the womens singles quarterfinals when she stopped 17-year-old Hong Kong teenager Yip Pui-yin 11-5, 11-7.

She was joined in the last eight by Germanys Xu Huaiwen, the sixth seed, who smashed past Chinese Taipeis Cheng Shao-chieh 11-3, 11-3.—AFP

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