Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi pulled off the biggest upset to knock fourth seeded world No. 11 pairing of Chen Boyang-Liu Yi.
Seeded Chinese pairs crashed out in the opening round of the Korean Open badminton championships at the Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu.
Malaysian independent men’s doubles pair Chia Wei Jie-Teo Ee Yi pulled off the biggest upset to knock fourth seeded world No. 11 pairing of Chen Boyang-Liu Yi.
Wei Jie-Ee Yi needed just 34 minutes to send the Chinese crashing out in 21-14, 21-19.
Also finding the going tough were sixth seeded Hu Keyuan-Liang Weikeng. The Chinese duo were beaten 19-21, 17-21 by the Japanese pairing of Takuro Goto-Tsubasa Yoshida.
Top seeds Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae, hoping to put behind their string of poor runs in recent weeks survived a close first game to move into the second round.
The Koreans edged out Malaysia’s Choong Hon Jian-Wong Vin Sean 22-20, 21-12 in the opening round.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles, Chiharu Shida’s new chapter continued to gather momentum at the Open as ahe and new partner Ririna Hiramoto booked their place in the second round with a 21-18 21-11 win over Chinese Taipei’s Chen Su Yu-Chen Han.
The pair had only recently made their debut together at last month’s French Open and arrived in Yeosu still searching for rhythm after a hectic spell away from the international circuit.
“After France, we only had about a week before domestic competitions and there wasn’t much time to practice together,” said Shida.
“When we arrived here (in Yeosu), it almost felt like we were practicing together again for the first time. I felt that lack of practice showed a little at the beginning, but our combination gradually improved as the tournament went on.”
For Shida, a former world No.1 who returned to competition this season after taking a break from the tour, the partnership represents both a fresh challenge and a chance to pass on her experience to a younger generation.
Hiramoto admitted she was initially intimidated by the prospect of partnering one of Japan’s biggest names.
“At first I was a little nervous,” she said. “She’s older than me and was also a senior from my former school. I wasn’t sure whether I would be good enough.
“But Shida was really good at communicating with everyone. She would start conversations and create a relaxed atmosphere and gradually I became less nervous too. I think that positive environment has helped us on court.”
The 20-year-old has already identified plenty she hopes to learn from her new partner, particularly Shida’s renowned defensive game and court craft. For her part, Shida believes the contrast between the pair could become their greatest strength.
“I want to embrace the energy and freshness that my younger partner brings,” she said. “The age difference gives us a unique appeal and there are so many things we can learn from each other. As long as we can make the most of each other’s strengths, I believe we can develop into a really good pair.”
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Men’s doubles: Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) bt Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang (Kor) 21-16, 21-15; Jin Yong-Jo Song-hyun (Kor) bt Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub Azriyn-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas) 21-11, 21-17; Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Choong Hon Jian-Wong Vin Sean (Mas) 22-20, 21-12; Wang Chang-Xie Haonan (Chn) bt Bryan Jeremy Goonting-Muhammad Haikal (Mas) 21-14, 22-24, 21-17; Keiichiro Matsui-Kenya Mitsuhashi (Jpn) bt Chia Yen Lin-Lin Yong Sheng (Tpe) 17-21, 21-15, 22-20; Takuro Goto-Tsubasa Yoshida (Jpn) bt Hu Keyuan-Liang Weikeng (Chn) 21-19, 21-17; He Zhi-wei-Huang Hui-Hsuan (Tpe) bt Wesley Koh Eng Keat-Howin Wong Jia Hao (Sgp) 21-17, 21-16; Hiroki Okamura-Kyohei Yamashita (Jpn) bt He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) 21-15, 14-21, 21-11; Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi (Jpn) bt Lai Po Yu-Tsai Fu Cheng (Tpe) 21-15, 17-21, 21-19; Chia Weiji-Teo Ee Yi (Chn) bt Chen Boyang-Liu Yi (Chn) 21-14, 21-19; Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (Mas) bt Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong (Mas) 12-21, 21-8, 21-12; Chen Zhi Ray-Lin Yu Chieh (Tpe) bt Huang Kuei Chun-Lui Chun Wei (Hkg) 12-21, 21-19, 21-16
Women’s doubles: Laudya Chelsea Griselda-Nozomi Shimizu (Aus) bt Sonali Singh-Rotoka Thaker (Ind) walkover; Isyana Syahira Meida-Rinjani Kwinnara Nastine (Ina) bt Moon In-seo-Park Seul (Kor) 21-15, 21-19; Li Yijing-Wang Yiduo (Chn) bt Chou Yun An-Hsieh Pei Shan (Tpe) 21-15,21-9; Kim Yu-jung-Lee Yu-lim (Kor) bt Lee Seung-hee-Park Min-ji (Kor) 16-21, 21-16, 21-10; Ririna Hiramoto-Chiharu Shoda (Jpn) bt Chen Su Yu-Chen Han (Tpe) 21-18, 21-11; Chen Yan Fei-Sun Liang Ching (Tpe) bt Nanako Hara-Riko Kiyose (Jpn) 21-17, 19-21, 21-17
