October 27, 2022
PETALING JAYA – It was a nightmare start for Malaysia in the French Open when world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and singles ace Lee Zii Jia suffered shock defeats in the first round.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who were looking to bounce back from their semi-final exit in the Denmark Open recently, suffered their worst result in an Open tournament this year when they went down 13-21, 14-21 to China’s Japan Open champions Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in Paris yesterday.
It was also the world No. 4 first defeat in the opening round of a World Tour event in almost two years.
The last time they crashed out in the first round was at the Thailand Open last January.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were also beaten by world No. 37 Chinese pair in the quarter-finals of the Indonesian Masters in June.
In the men’s singles, Denmark Open runners-up Zii Jia lost to the same opponent for the second time this year when he fell 18-21, 19-21 to Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren.
On a roll: Indonesia’s Shesar Hiren had also beaten Zii Jia at the Malaysian Open in June.
The Malaysian was also upstaged his world No. 24 opponent in the second round of the Malaysian Open in June.
The loss was a huge blow to Zii Jia, who had reached a career-high No. 2 in the world rankings just a day earlier.
Zii Jia seemed to have regained his confidence after a string of disappointing results in the Malaysian Open, World Championships and Japan Open in June to August.
But his latest premature exit looks to have put the 24-year-old back to square one.
China’s Shi Yuqi, who denied Zii Jia in the Denmark Open final, also suffered a shock 16-21, 14-21 loss to Thailand’s Sitthikom Thammasin.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s bad day was compounded by mixed pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie’s surprise 14-21, 10-21 defeat to Indonesia’s Rehan Naufal-Lisa Ayu.
In women’s doubles, independent pair Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien also went down 21-6, 13-21, 18-21 to Scotland’s Julie Macpherson-Ciara Torrance.
RESULTS
First round
Men’s singles: Shesar Hiren (Ina) bt Lee Zii Jia 21-19, 21-18; Sitthikom Thammasin (Tha) bt Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-16, 21-14.
Men’s doubles: Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun bt Lucas CorveeRonan Labar (Fra) 21-16, 21-17; Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi bt Christopher Grimley-Matthew Grimley (Sco) 21-18, 21-13; Ben Lane-Sean Vendy (Eng) bt Jeppe Bay-Lasse Molhede (Den) 21-19, 21-7; Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto (Ina) bt M. R. Arjun-Dhruv Kapila (Ind) 21-15, 21-16; Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) bt Aaron ChiaSoh Wooi Yik 21-13, 21-14.
Women’s singles: Mia Blichfeldt (Den) bt Iris Wang (US) 21-18, 21- 16; He Bingjiao (Chn) bt Line Kjaersfeldt (Den) 21-8, 21-13.
Women’s doubles: Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan (Chn) bt Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva (Bul) 21-13, 22-20; Jeong Na-eun-Kim Hyejeong (Kor) bt Deborre Jille-Cheryl Seinen (Ned) 21-14, 21-16; Baek Ha-na-Lee-So-hee (Kor) bt Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu (Chn) 21-17, 21- 12; Julie Macpherson-Ciara Torrance (Sco) bt Vivian Hoo-Lim Chiew Sien 6-21, 21-13, 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Terry Hee-Jessica Tan (Sin) bt William Villeger-Anne Tran (Fra) 21-14, 21-12; Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong (Chn) bt Mikkel Mikkelsen-Rikke Soby (Den) 21-11, 21-12; Rehan Naufal-Lisa Ayu (Ina) bt Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai 21-14, 21-10.