Badminton: Gu Juan, Derek Wong crash out of Singapore Open

SINGAPORE: Two of Singapore’s Olympics—bound shuttlers crashed out of the Li—Ning Singapore Open on Wednesday.

Playing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, women’s singles player Gu Juan lost in round one to Thailand’s Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 21—18, 22—20.

Singapore’s Derek Wong was up against Gurusaidutt R.M.V. from India.

Wong is ranked higher at 47th in the world, compared to the Indian’s 55th placed ranking.

Despite the higher ranking, it was disappointment for the home fans as Derek was beaten 21—12, 21—13.

The 23—year—old was unseeded but got into the main draw after Indonesia’s Simon Santoso pulled out of the event.

Derek said: "He has played two games before me. That’s not an excuse — that the opponent has more time on the court so he probably knows the wind better — because we have also trained on this court and today he has also played very well.

"For me, I’ll probably have to polish up on my skills a little bit, try to keep it more consistent and prepare for the Olympics."

But it was good news for the Singaporean pair of Yao Lei and Shinta Mulia Sari.

The women’s doubles pair, seeded 7th, beat their Malaysian opponents 21—18,18—21 and 21—18 to move to the next round.

— CNA/ac