Changzhou: The World No. 8 men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi took on the World No. 19 Ren Xiangyu/Tan Qiang in their 2023 China Open first-round match, and Ong/Teo emerging victorious 21-16, 23-21 after 47 minutes of fierce competition. Their impressive performance secured them a spot in the tournament’s top 16.
Ong/Teo will play Rasmus Kjær/Frederik Søgaard of Denmark next.
Highlights of Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi vs. Ren Xiangyu/Tan Qiang in the China Open first round:
Another Malaysian men’s pair, the World No. 6 Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, facing South Korea’s World No. 15 Choi Sol-Gyu and Kim Won-Ho, managed to triumph despite trailing 4-10, 12-18, and 16-20 in the second game. Their remarkable comeback led to a final score of 21-10, 25-23, marking their fourth career win against the Korean duo.
Highlights of Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik vs. Choi Sol-Gyu/Kim Won-Ho in the China Open first round:
The loss of the No. 2 seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty of India to the hands of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana Indonesia added to the surprises in the men’s doubles category. Now, both the No. 1 seeds, Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, and the No. 2 seeds, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, have been eliminated in the first round.
In a highly anticipated men’s singles first-round match, Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia experienced a tough defeat against Japan’s reigning World Championships silver medalist Kodai Naraoka.
The match-up between World No. 14 Lee and World No. 3 Naraoka was nothing short of electrifying. These two shuttlers had clashed twice in the past, setting the stage for another epic encounter. The battle stretched for an intense 74 minutes before concluding with a scoreline of 26-24, 12-21, 21-11 in favor of Naraoka.
Highlights of Lee Zii Jia vs. Kodai Naraoka in the China Open first round:
Regrettably, this marked the seventh instance this year where Lee couldn’t make it past the first round. His earlier setbacks occurred at prestigious tournaments including the Japan Open, Korea Open, Indonesia Open, Singapore Open, Asian Badminton Championships, and Malaysia Open.
Early in the first game, Lee was marred by numerous errors, particularly with a lot of out-of-bound shots in the backcourt. Despite his valiant efforts to stage a comeback, he fell short by a narrow margin. As the game progressed, it became evident that he struggled to maintain his physical stamina, leading to more mistakes and a subsequent loss in points in the decider. Ultimately, he had no choice but to concede defeat.
In another highly anticipated clash, the Chinese All-England champion Li Shifeng emerged victorious against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, with a thrilling score of 21-14, 18-21, 21-18. The intense battle lasted 74 minutes and marked the first meeting between the world No. 7 seed Li Shifeng and the World No. 11 Chou Tien Chen.
Li Shifeng is now set to face off against his compatriot, world No. 15 Lu Guangzu, in the second round. Lu Guangzu secured his spot by defeating Hong Kong’s world No. 18 Ng Ka Long with a score of 21-17, 21-15.
