Top players cruise into second round in Japan

Two-time Japan Open champion, top seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, eased aside Anand Pawar of India 21-13, 21-9, while 2008 champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia lost to Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand 21-14, 17-21, 18-21. “After the Olympics, I’ve been trying to change my style technically, because it becomes physically tougher to play with hard-hit shots when you get old,” said Lee, 29. Sixth seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark bowed to Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai 22-24, 16-21, and fifth seed Kenichi Tago of Japan lost to Chong Wei Feng (MAS), 21-8, 16-21, 17-21, but other seeds safely went through. In the women’s competition, seeded players 2007 champion Tine Baun of Denmark, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk and Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, South Korea’s Bae Yeon-Ju and Sung Ji-Hyun, and Japan’s Ai Goto advanced. But seventh seed Gu Juan of Singapore fell victim to Japan’s Minatsu Mitani 16-21, 17-21.