SINGAPORE: Badminton star Taufik Hidayat angrily lashed media Wednesday for giving him a “bad name” after he missed a press conference, while Chinese legend Lin Dan offered an apology. Hidayat said Indonesian press had accused him of lacking professionalism for not turning up, but he insisted he was never told about a media commitment for this week's Singapore Open. The outspoken 2004 Olympic gold medalist opened fire after scraping through his first-round match 22-24, 21-12, 21-18 against Malaysian qualifier Daren Liew. A tournament official said Hidayat and defending champion Sony Dwi Kuncoro were not properly informed about the press conference, which China's Lin skipped with a stomach upset. India's Saina Nehwal turned up so late the press conference room was closed, while five Chinese players who did come for interview looked bad-tempered and angered journalists with their short answers. Chinese mega-star Lin, the reigning Olympic champion and the only player to complete badminton's “Golden Grand Slam” of the eight biggest titles, gave an unreserved apology for failing to attend. Badminton officials said they accepted the explanation and would not fine Lin, who romped through his opening match 21-14, 21-15 against South Korea's Shon Wan-Ho. Defending champion and fellow Indonesian Kuncoro was bundled out in the first round by China's Bao Chunlai and fifth seed Boonsak Ponsana was also an early casualty, while Danish fourth seed Peter Gade beat Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto. In the women's draw, China's “Three Wangs” — Shixian, Yihan and Xin, who top the seedings — all enjoyed comfortable wins, but Indian fourth seed Saina Nehwal needed three games to beat Chinese player Lu Lan. The Singapore Open is the fifth leg of badminton's 12-stop Super Series and also carries qualification points towards next year's London Olympics. – Agence France
