Second round MS - Momota in, Lin Dan out !
The first men’s singles match opposed the title holder Kidambi to Wong (from Hong Kong). He was leading throughout the entire match and qualified himself easily with a final score of 21-19 21-13. Kidambi received a round of applause from the French crowd.
Jonathan Christie didn’t get an easy match facing the Indian Verma, yet being 10 ranks above him in the world ranking. Christie lost the first set due to a lack of concentration but came back and won the second and third ones. Final score : 16-21 21-17 21-15.
Known for his smile and his joy on the court, Ygor Coelho was very happy to play in France where he had been playing for a year in Bordeaux. He played against Sai Praneeth from India. He explained : « He was too fast for me during the first set and I couldn’t find the answers and I did some mistakes in the second set ». Ygor said he had a good time : « It was my third time playing here and this is my favorite tournament. »
Japan, here they are !
Momota, one of the favorite for the title this year played against Jen Hao Hsu from Taipei. Despite a difficult start, he still won the first set 21-19. He was more confident in the second set and didn’t show any weaknesses which allowed him to easily win 21-12. Momota is now qualified for the next round where he would have to face his compatriot Sakai, who realised an amazing performance beating Lin Dan in 3 sets. It was not an easy thing to do with a result of 9-21 on the first set. However, Lin Dan made many direct faults which actually helped Sakai to win the second set. Full of confidence, he stayed focused during the last set and got the victory with a final score of : 9-21 21-14 21-14.
And no more French players…
The best French player Brice Leverdez had to face the Olympic Champion Chen Long. After loosing in two sets 21-11 21-13, he is still satisfied with his performance : « Chen Long had a very good strategy and I couldn’t impose my game. I am still happy because I had better sensations on the court than over the past weeks. »
The next round promises to be even more intense with some incredible matches !