Changzhou, July 23: The China Open Badminton Tournament witnessed a major upset on Wednesday, as Thailand’s second-seeded player, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, faced an unexpected defeat in the first round. Meanwhile, China’s Wang Zhiyi made a strong comeback to secure her victory.
In the men’s singles, the biggest surprise came when former world champion Vitidsarn was defeated by Denmark’s Rasmus Gameke with scores of 21-13, 8-21, 21-19. Additionally, China’s seventh-seeded player, Li Shifeng, also lost his opening match, falling to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen 12-21, 21-14, 18-21.
In the women’s singles, local player Wang triumphed over Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, winning 15-21, 21-5, 21-18 to advance to the Round of 16. On the other hand, China’s Han Yue defeated Turkey’s Neslihan Yigit 18-21, 21-7, 21-13.
Several Chinese doubles pairs achieved easy victories. In men’s doubles, the fourth-seeded duo of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang defeated India’s Hariharan Amshakaran and Arjun Madathil Ramachandran 21-16, 21-7. The top mixed doubles pair, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, overcame India’s Rohan Kapoor and Rutvika Shivani Gadde with a score of 21-9, 21-16.
Two more Chinese mixed doubles pairs advanced to the last 16. Cheng Jing and Zhang Chi won 21-19, 21-10, while Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin secured victory in a three-game match. However, China’s women’s doubles pair, Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian, faced an unexpected defeat against Indonesia’s Rachel Alessa Rose and Feby Setianingrum, losing 22-24, 17-21.
Meanwhile, India’s PV Sindhu defeated her compatriot Unnati Hooda in a tough match, winning 21-14, 9-21, 21-10. Additionally, Ayush Shetty secured his place in the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals by defeating Indonesia’s world number 11 player, Alvi Farhan, with scores of 21-17, 5-21, 21-17. The 2026 China Open will conclude on Sunday in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Leave a Comment