KUALA LUMPUR: China‘s Great Wall suffered a crack at the World Championships when world No. 4 Li Shi Feng crashed out in the opening round in Paris on Monday.
Shi Feng became the first major casualty at the Adidas Arena after Japan’s world No. 27 Yushi Tanaka pulled off a stunning 19-21, 21-11, 21-15 comeback win in 71 minutes.
But top seed Shi Yu Qi quickly restored order, brushing aside India’s world No. 21 Lakshya Sen 21-17, 21-19 in 54 minutes to book a second-round tie against Belgium’s Julien Carraghi on Wednesday.
World No. 11 Lu Guang Zu also had a scare against Singapore’s Jason Teh.
After losing the first game 21-16 and trailing 12-5 in the second, Lu clawed his way back to snatch a 16-21, 22-20, 21-14 victory.
“My opponent was in very good form, so I was actually on the back foot. But I fought for every single point, and I think I did that pretty well,” Guang Zhu told BWF on Monday.
“I think I played with a go-for-broke attitude during the crucial points today. It was a wake-up call for me.”
Meanwhile, French favourite Alex Lanier thrilled the home crowd by overpoweringKantaphon Wangcharoen of Thailand 21-12, 22-20 to keep alive hopes of becoming the first Frenchman to lift a world crown.
In the women’s singles, 2013 world champion and current world No. 10 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand suffered a shock 21-17, 21-18 defeat to Vietnam’s world No. 22 Nguyen Thuy Linh.
But China‘s Chen Yu Fei, the world No. 4, had no such trouble, sweeping past France’s Anna Tatranova 21-10, 21-12.
SELECTED RESULTS
1st rd
Men’s singles: Shi Yu Qi (Chn) bt Lakhsya Sen (Ind) 21-17, 21-19; Jeon Hyeok Jin (Kor) bt Lee Zii Jia (Mas) 21-17, 21-11; Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) bt Li Shi Feng (Chn) 19-21, 21-11, 21-15; Weng Hong Yan (Chn) bt Jack Au (Aus) 21-7, 21-12; Loh Kean Yew (Sin) bt Georges Julien Paul (Mri) 21-15, 21-12; Lu Guang Zu (Chn) bt Jason Teh (Sin) 16-21, 22-20, 21-14; Alex Lanier (Fra) bt Kantaphon Wangcharoen (Tha) 21-12, 22-20; Christo Popov (Fra) bt Pui Pang Fong (Mac) 21-15, 21-16.
Doubles: Arif Junaidi-Yap Roy King (Mas) bt Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura (Jpn) 21-5, 21-13; Kim Gi Jung-Kim Sa Rang (Kor) bt Law Cheuk Him-Yeung Shing Choi (HK) 23-21, 21-17; Christopher Grimley-Matthew Grimley (Sco) bt Daniel Franco-Rodrigo Sanjurjo (Spa) 21-14, 21-14.
Women’s singles: Chen Yu Fei (Chn) bt Anna Tatranova (Fra) 21-10, 21-12; Nguyen Thuy Linh (Vie) bt Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-17, 21-18; Pornpawee Chochuwong (Tha) bt Jaslyn Hooi (Sin) 21-14, 21-8; Michelle Li (Can) bt Natsu Nidaira (Jpn) 21-15, 21-14.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
