TheStar 25th Oct '05 PETALING JAYA: Newly-crowned Dutch Open champion Mohd Hafiz Hashim had to go the distance to book his place in the men’s singles second round of the Denmark Open badminton championships in Aarhus on Tuesday. Hafiz, who bagged his third Grand Prix title of the year in Holland last Sunday, laboured for more than an hour to beat Dane Sune Gavnholt 15-5, 12-15, 15-7. He will play against Japan’s Sho Sasaki for a place in the third round. Hafiz said that he was still feeling the effects of his campaign in the Dutch Open. “The journey from Holland to Aarhus was quite a long one too. I was a bit tired and that was why I had a difficult time (against Gavnholt),” he said. The Malaysian number two added that now that he had achieved his goal of winning a title from his campaign in Europe, he would take it one match at a time in the Denmark Open. It was smooth sailing for national number one Lee Chong Wei and veteran Wong Choong Hann. Chong Wei cruised into the second round with a 15-2, 15-2 win over Ireland’s Scott Evans while Choong Hann beat Rafn Bo of Denmark 15-8, 15-8. In the second round, the second seeded Chong Wei will play against Joachim Persson of Sweden while Choong Hann will be up against England’s Andrew Smith. Two other Malaysians – Pei Wei Chung and Salim Sameon – lost to Swedish opponents in the first round. Wei Chung was beaten 4-15, 6-15 by George Rimarcdi while Salim fell to a 14-17, 8-15 defeat by Magnus Sahlberg. The mixed doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Wong Pei Tty earned their place in the second round with a 15-1, 15-11 victory over England’s Ian Palethorpe-Liza Parker. The doubles competition begins today. There are three Malaysian pairs in the fray, including Dutch Open champions Choong Tan Fok-Lee Wan Wah. The other pairs are Kien Keat-Chan Chong Ming and Mohd Fairzuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Lin Woon Fui. The second seeded women’s double pair of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty will be making their bid to make a third successive final appearance on the World Grand Prix Circuit. They were the runners-up in the Indonesian and Dutch Opens. CHONG WEI: The second seeded shuttler will play against Joachim Persson of Sweden in the second round.
