Badminton: Chen Long crashes out of Malaysia Masters first round

Chen Long, the reigning Olympic gold medallist, told reporters after the match that he was very disappointed with his poor performance in his first championship this year.
PHOTO: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR (BERNAMA) - World No. 4 Chen Long made an early exit from the Malaysian Masters after losing to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in the first round on Wednesday (Jan 17).

Anthony beat the Chinese ace 21-17, 21-15 in 43 minutes at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.

Chen Long, the reigning Olympic gold medallist, told reporters after the match that he was very disappointed with his poor performance in his first championship this year.

"My game was not very good today, I'm disappointed with my own performance as this is the first tournament this year. Besides that, I need time to adapt with the BWF (Badminton World Federation) new rules regarding the service," he said.

Home favourite and second seed Lee Chong Wei faces Japan's Kenta Nishimoto later on Wednesday while top seed Viktor Axelsen takes on South Korean Lee Hyun Il.

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