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Chinese Chen Advances to Last Eight, Permadi Crashes out
World number four Chen Hong of China beat Ong Ewe Hock of Malaysia to clinch a berth in the quarterfinals as world runner-up Fung Permandi crashed out in the third round of the world badminton championships Thursday in Seville.
Chen, who scored a decisive point in China's winning four successive Sudirman Cup mixed team champion last week, took 48 minutes to defeat the 12th seed Ong 15-11, 15-9.
The Chinese number one singles player will next take on sixth seed and All England champion Pulella Gopichand of India, who beat Permadi of Chinese Taipei 15-10, 15-13 in another match.
"I am looking forward to a rematch of the All England final," Chen said. "I believe I can win this time."
Second seed Peter Gade also advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Lee Tsuen Seng of Malaysia 15-3, 15-7, 15-9.
The former number one was controlled in the second game after easily winning the first one, leaving Lee, ranked 18th in the world, to pull away when the score was levelled at 5-5.
Then came a see-saw third game in which the two sides drew 8-8 before Gade took some well-angled shots and powerful attack to seal a berth in the last eight.
"I am very satisfied with the first game," the Dane said. "I played very fast. But in the second I was very tired because of the heat. I had to take some break to find back my power in the third. "
He said some players from south Asian can take advantage of the heat in the San Pablo stadium and "put up some surprising performance."
"They are suddenly like changed persons," Gade said.
But the quarterfinal match is expected to be a "similar" one since he will take on South Asian player Agus Hariyanto.
The world 24th-ranked Agus Hariyanto, who eliminated Olympic champion Ji Xinpeng of China on Wednesday, pulled off another surprise en route to the quarterfinals by stunning seventh seed Marleve Mainaky of Indonesia 7-15, 15-7, 15-5.
In the day's other matches, giant killer Agus Hariyanto of Hong Kong, China was beaten by Marleve Mainaky of Indonesia 7-15, 15-7, 15-5; Hendrawan of Indonesia defeated another shuttler of Hong Kong, China Tam Kai Chuen 15-3, 15-12; Olympic bronze medalist Xia Xuanze of China edged out Anders Boesen of Denmark 15- 7, 10-15, 15-10; Indonesia's world number three Taufik Hidayat beat Wong Choong Hann of Malaysia 15-10, 11-15, 15-7; South Korea' s Lee Hyun Ii knocked out Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark 15-6, 15-11.
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