Misaki/Ayaka Pull Through – China Open: Day 2
Defending champions Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi came through a stiff opening round test against Li Wen Mei and Zheng Yu at the VICTOR China Open 2019 today.
· DEV SUKUMAR
The women’s doubles second seeds felt the heat in the opening game from the attacking Chinese. After taking the first game, Li and Zheng continued in the same vein; Matsutomo and Takahashi took time to find their rhythm, but once they edged through in the second, the Japanese took hold of the reins of the match. Matsutomo was once again a dynamic presence at the front, and with Takahashi finding the sting in her smashes, the second seeds made it comfortably in the end: 16-21 21-18 21-8.
Women’s singles eighth seed Saina Nehwal was knocked out in the opening round by Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan, 21-10 21-17.
It was Nehwal’s fourth early-round loss in a row, after the Thailand Open, the World Championships and the New Zealand Open.