Malaysia’s Olympic silver medalist Lee Chong Wei got off to a shaky start in the defense of his Japan Open title yesterday, battling from behind to beat unfancied Chinese Zhu Weilun 25-23, 21-8.
The 25-year-old world No. 1 bounced back from 20-18 down in the first game of his first round match against Zhu, who also made Lee work hard in the Asian championships in April.
“I was slow in warming up and my opponent played very well,” admitted top-seeded Lee, who lost to China’s double world champion Lin Dan in the Beijing Games final last month.
PHOTO: AFP
In the second round of the US$200,000 event, the seventh of the 12-round Super Series world tour, Lee will meet Japan’s Sho Sasaki who outlasted England’s Andrew Smith 26-24, 23-21.
Four-time European champion Peter Gade was the only top seed to tumble in the opening round as he bowed to China’s Gong Weijie 12-21, 22-20, 24-22.
Gong will meet compatriot Lu Yi in the second round after Lu beat Canadian Bobby Milroy 21-16, 21-9.
Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro, the runner-up to Lin at last year’s world championships, breezed past Japanese qualifier Koichi Saeki 21-11, 21-8.
Dwi Kuncoro, the world No. 5, next plays Sairul Amar Ayob after the Malaysian whipped compatriot Lee Tsuen Seng 21-17, 21-18.
Fourth-seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia brushed aside Hong Kong’s Ng Wei who pulled out at 14-4 down after losing the first game 21-9.
Alamsyah Yunus of Indonesia beat Taiwan’s Hseih Yu-hsin 19-21, 21-5, 22-20.
In the women’s first round, title holder Tine Rasmussen of Denmark trounced Japan’s Ai Goto 21-8, 21-15.
China’s Lu Lan — the top seed in the absence of Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning and silver medallist Xie Xingfang — rallied from behind to a 11-21, 21-13, 21-14 victory over Indonesian Fransisca Ratnasari.
In the first round of the mixed doubles Cho Gun-woo and Ha Jung-eun of South Korea beat Taiwan’s Hsieh Yu-hsin and Chien Yu-chin 21-19, 21-19.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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