Chong Wei’s path to HK open semis looks bright

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KUALA LUMPUR: World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei is expected to have an easy path to the Hong Kong Yonex Sunrise Open semifinals which starts in Kowloon, Hong Kong tomorrow.

The 30-year-old has been drawn to meet Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the

first round before facing unheralded players like Wang Zhengming from China, Hao Hsu Jen from Taiwan and probably Nguyen Tien Minh from Vietnam in the quarterfinals.

Barring any upsets, Chong Wei’s semifinal opponent is expected to be either Du Pengyu, a rising star from China, Kenichi Tago from Japan or Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat.

Among other notable players in the field are Chen Long, Chen Jin from China,

Sho Sasaki from Japan and Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen.

The only major absentee will be Olympic and world champion Lin Dan from China who beat Chong Wei in the 2012 London Olympics men’s singles final. — Bernama