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BOPANNA IS OUT
On a day that started with a surprise announcement that the men’s top seed, Lu Yen-Hsun of Chinese Taipei, had withdrawn from the tournament for personal reasons, the Asian Championships in Tashkent saw the dramatic elimination of last year’s finalist, Rohan Bopanna of India, in straight sets by qualifier Denis Salimsakov of Uzbekistan.
4th seed Bopanna, presently ranked 344, lost to unranked but confident Salimsakov who was serving well and putting away winners. Bopanna, who was unwell with an upset stomach and fighting a headcold, refused to offer any excuses for his loss at the post-match interview. He said Salimsalov deserved the win with his good all round performance. Bopanna had only arrived the previous day after representing India in the Davis Cup tie in Holland on the weekend where he had played a four-and-a-half hour singles match and a three-hour doubles match.
Lu’s place in the event was taken by lucky loser, Eduard Khan of Uzbekistan, ranked at 1141. Eduard however was no match against Hiroki Kondo of Japan who beat him in straight sets, 6/1, 6/1. The new top seed, Wang Yeu-Tzuoo, ranked 211, dropped a set in his game against Indonesia’s Prima Simpatiaji, ranked 725. All other men’s seeds kept their form and went through easily. 5th seed Harsh Mankad of India and 7th seed Aisam Qureshi of Pakistan both won in straight sets.
In the Women’s Singles event, the championship saw the elimination of its first seed in the competition. 5th seed Maika Ozaki of Japan, ranked 330, was upset by a very determined Chattida Thimjapo of Thailand, ranked 662. Thimjapo raced away to a 6/0 lead in the first set before facing a spirited fight-back by Ozaki in the second, which ended in a tie-break set, 6/7. Thimjapo ensured her place in the quarterfinals, to meet 3rd seed Chuang Chia-Jung of Chinese Taipei, by closing the deciding set, 6/4. Chuang did not have an easy passage herself to the quarterfinals as she was made to play a closely contested three-set match against Kim Mi-Ok of Korea,
which ended 7/6, 5/7, 6/3.
The Asian Championships offer the winners of the singles events wild card entries to the 2004 Australian Open and has total prize money of US$100,000 at stake.
INDIAN PLAYERS MAKE UP FOR LOSSES IN SINGLES
The three women players from India who lost their singles matches yesterday made up for their loss by winning their doubles matches today. Isha Lakhani and Megha Vakharia beat Chattida Thimjapo and Choptang Wilawan of Thailand, 1/6, 6/2, 6/3. Ankita Bhambri partnered Lam Po-Kuen of Hong Kong to easily beat Eleonora Stidjemileva and Alexandra Sorotyaga of Uzbekistan in straight sets, 6/2, 6/1.
Top seed Alexey Kedriouk of Kazakhstan and Aisam Qureshi of Pakistan, and 2nd seed Vadim Kutsenko and Oleg Ogorodov of Uzbekistan had easy wins over their opponents in the first round of the Men’s Doubles event.
Full Results for 23 September 2003
Women’s Singles
(1) Wynne PRAKUSYA (IND) bt Choptang WILAWAN (THA) – 6/0, 6/2
(6) Akgul AMANMURADOVA (UZB) bt Vlada EKSHIBAROVA (UZB) – 6/4, 6/0
Chia-Jung CHUANG (TPE) bt Mi-Ok KIM (KOR) – 7/6, 5/7, 6/3
Chattida THIMJAPO (THA) bt Maika OZAKI (JPN) – 6/0, 6/7, 6/4
Men’s Singles
(2) Yeu-Tzuoo WANG (TPE) bt Prima SIMPATIAJI (INA) – 6/1, 2/6, 6/2
Denis SALIMSAKOV (UZB) bt (4) Rohan BOPANNA (IND) – 6/4, 6/4
(5) Harsh MANKAD (IND) v Seung Hoon OH (KOR) – 6/1, 6/2
(7) Aisam QURESHI (PAK) bt Anton KOKURIN (UZB) – 6/3, 6/4
Sung Kyun KANG (KOR) bt Sarvar IKRAMOV (UZB) – 4/6, 6/4, 6/1
Hiroki KONDO (JAP) bt Eduard KHAN (UZB) – 6/1, 6/1
Hiu-Tung YU (HKG) bt Renouk WIJEMANNE (SRI) – 6/2, 7/5
Men’s Doubles – Qualifying (2nd Round)
Ivan KOKURIN (UZB)/YU Hiu-Tung (HKG) bt Anton MAVRIN (UZB)/Mohd Nor NORDIN (MAS) – 6/4, 6/4
Men’s Doubles – 1st Round
(1) Alexey KEDRIOUK (KAZ)/Aisam Qureshi (PAK) bt Boris Baichorov (KGZ)/Sergey TSAY (KAZ) – 6/1, 6/1
(2) Vadim KUTSENKO/Oleg OGORODOV (UZB) bt Hao LU/Yin XU (CHN) – 6/0, 6/1
(3) Hiroki KONDO (JPN)/Yeu-Tzuoo WANG (TPE) bt Sarvar IKRAMOV/Denis ISAEV (UZB) – 6/3, 6/3
Ivan KOKURIN (UZB)/YU Hiu-Tung (HKG) v Anoosha SHAHGHOLI/Ashkan SHOKOFI (IRI) – 7/6, 7/6
Women’s Doubles – 1st Round
Ankita BHAMBRI (IND)/Po-Kuen LAM (HKG) bt Eleonara SITDJEMILEVA/Alexandra SOROTYAGA (UZB) – 6/2, 6/1
Chia-Jung CHUANG/Chin-Wei CHAN (TPE) v Wynne PRAKUSYA/Wukirasih SAWONDARI (INA) – 2/6, 6/2, 6/3
Mai Hyunh HUYNH/Thi-Kim TRAN (VIE) bt Aglaya KOKURINA/Kristina SOLODOVNIKOVA (UZB) – 6/1, 6/0
Chattida THIMJAPO/Choptang WILAWAN (THA) bt Isha LAKHANI/Megha VAKHARIA (IND) – 1/6, 6/2, 6/3
Schedule for day two – 23 September 2003
Court 2 – 11.00 AM start
Men’s Singles (2nd Round)
Vaja UZAKOV (UZB) v (3) Vadim KUTSENKO
Followed by
Murad INOYATOV (UZB) v (2) Yeu-Tzuoo WANG (TPE)
Followed by (not before 2.00 PM)
Women’s Singles (2nd Round)
(8) Jin-Young CHOI (KOR) v Ivanna Isroilova (UZB)
Followed by (not before 4.00 PM)
Men’s Singles (2nd Round)
(5) Harsh Mankad (IND) v Seung Hoon OH (KOR)
Followed by
Women’s Singles (2nd Round)
Wukirasih SAWONDARI (INA) v (2) Napapron THONGSALEE (THA)
Court 3 – 10.00 AM
Men’s Singles (2nd Round)
(7) Aisam QURESHI (PAK) v Oleg OGORODOV (UZB)
Followed by
Women’s Singles (2nd Round)
Chen Wei CHAN (TPE) v Elina ARUTYUNOVA (UZB)
Followed by (not before 1.00 PM)
Po-Kuen LAM (HKG) v (4) Chin Bee KHOO (MAS)
Followed by
Men’s Doubles (2nd Round)
Murad INOYATOV/Dimitry MAZUR (UZB) v (2) Vadim KUTSENKO/Oleg OGORODOV (UZB)
Followed by (not before 4.00 PM)
Men’s Doubles (2nd Round)
Mai Huynh HUYNH/Thi-Kim TRAN (VIE) v (4) Akgul AMANMURADOVA/Ivanna ISROILOVA (UZB)
Court 4 – 10.00 AM
Men’s Singles (2nd Round)
Sung Kyun KANG (KOR) v (6) Alexey KEDRIOUK (KAZ)
Followed by
Hiroki KONDO (JPN) v Dimitry MAZUR (UZB)
Followed by (not before 1.00 PM)
Men’s Doubles (2nd Round)
(4) Suwandi SUWANDI/Febi WIDHIYANTO (INA) v Ivan KOKURIN (UZB)/YU Hiu-TUNG (HKG)
Followed by
Women’s Doubles (2nd Round)
Chia-Jung CHUANG/Chin-Wei CHAN (TPE) v Isha LAKHANI/Megha VAKHARIA (IND)
Followed by (not before 4.00 PM)
Ankita BHAMBRI (IND)/Po-Kuen LAM (HKG) v (2) Chin Bee KHOO (MAS)/Napaporn THONGSALEE (THA)
Court 5 - 10.00 AM
Men’s Singles (2nd Round)
Hiu-Tung YU (HKG) v (8) Febi WIDHIYANTO (INA)
Followed by
Denis SALIMSAKOV (UZB) v Minh Quan DO (VIE)
Followed by (not before 1.00 PM)
Men’s Doubles (2nd Round)
(1) Alexey KEDRIOUK (KAZ)/Aisam QURESHI (PAK) v Anton KOKURIN (UZB)/Sunil Kumar SIPAEYA (IND)
Followed by
Minh Quan DO/Quoc Khanh LE (VIE) v (3) Hiroki KONDO (JAP)/Yeu-Tzuoo WANG (TPE)
Followed by (not before 4.00 PM)
Women’s Doubles (2nd Round)
(1) Jin-Young CHOI/Mi-Ok KIM (KOR) v Nargiza IBRAGIMOVA/Nargiza RAKHMANOVA