Chen, Marin get off to a flyer, Saina humiliated at Superseries final

Dubai

China’s Chen Long and Carolina Marin from Spain are the dominant favourites at the WBF Dubai World Superseries Finals and it was easy to see why as they exploded out of the gates recording resounding first round victories at the Hamdan Sports Complex yesterday.

Chen, the reigning world champion who won the Superseries Finals in 2012 but failed to qualify last season, swept past compatriot Tian Houwei, the 2009 World Junior Badminton Champion, in straight sets 21-13, 21-13.

Earlier in the afternoon it was Marin’s turn to seize the opening day’s spotlight and flaunt the elegant skills that have made her the best player in a world that was until recently almost totally ruled by the formidable Chinese shuttlers.

However, on this occasion it was the turn of defending champion Tai Tzu Ying from Chinese Taipei, to experience the Spaniard’s all-round superiority, as she was beaten 21-16, 21-9 in just 37 minutes.

Saina loses

Meanwhile, Indian superstar and crowd favourite Saina Nehwal suffered a humiliating 21-14, 21-6 defeat to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, who had never beaten her in four previous meetings.

“I came here hoping to play my best badminton, but it’s not happening,” said Nehwal, who revealed that she was feeling the effects of an ankle injury that has been undergoing treatment for and which has kept her out of serious training for the past three weeks.

“I can only put my performance down to fitness and my ankle. I did not feel good at all today and did not have the stamina to push myself.

“Nozomi is a rally player and when you’re playing at the highest level it’s always going to be tough because they can pick up your shots. No excuses, just fitness and the ankle.”

Lot of confidence

Chen, a winner of seven major titles this year including the World and All-England Championships, will take a lot of confidence from his win over Tian, a suntanned Fujian who has become an overnight sensation.

Jan Jorgenson, the world number two from Denmark could be criticized for a shaky start in the second set against Hu Yun, the world number 13 from Hong Kong, but his work product improved dramatically and he was soon able to close out the Group A match 21-10, 23-21.

“I was very pleased to get off in two games, because he is very tricky and can turn a match round quite quickly,” said Jorgensen. “We have Chen Long in our group so it’s important to stay in good shape.”

Marin’s only grievance about her match against Tai Tzu Ying was about the weight of the shuttles.

“I wanted to keep the shuttle in and not make mistakes,” said Marin who had a standout year with five victories on the tour. “The shuttle was slow and I wanted to keep the pace high.

“I think she made mistakes in the beginning of the second game, and she got tired after some long rallies. She’s really difficult to play, has some good strokes, and I need to pay more attention to that.

“I don’t think anyone else plays her style. She has really good quality from the back court and at the net.”

The opening day’s action was not with its share of drama as Zhang Man and Zhao Yunlei, the world’s number one mixed doubles pair, Olympic champions and a husband-and-wife couple from China, were beaten by Hong Kong’s Lee Chun Hei and Chau Hoi Wah, a partnership ranked nine places below them.

“Maybe we were a bit tired. We weren’t 100 percent. I wasn’t feeling too good on court.” said Zhao following their 32-minute, 21-15, 21-12 defeat, and only fifth of the year.

A delighted Chau talked up the harmony that she shared with Lee and said: “We did our best, we’re glad we performed well, not just that we won, but that the understanding between us was good, we executed what we had planned to do.

“They are very tough, so for us, it was about preparing ourselves for the worst and hoping for the best! There was less pressure on us and we tried to enjoy the match as much as possible. Our form this year has been a bit bumpy, there’s a lot we need to improve on.