KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — National top men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia beat Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the first round of the China Open badminton tournament in Fuzhou, China today.

The unseeded Zii Jia, however, had to slog for about 65 minutes before winning 19-21, 21-18 and 21-12 at the Haixia Olympic Sports Centre, according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website.

National professional men’s singles player Liew Daren, however, crashed out of the tournament after he was forced to retire in the second game against world number one Kento Momota of Japan due to an injury. Momota won the first set 21-17.

National mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing also progressed to the second round by defeating Lee Yang-Yang Ching Tun 21-10, 21-16.

In the men’s doubles, two Malaysian pairs were eliminated from the US$700,000 (RM2.892 million) competition.

Ex-national pair Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong were beaten 15-21, 16-21 by world number one Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia while national pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi lost 17-21, 10-21 to Lu Ching Yao-Yang Po Han of Taiwan.

It was also the end of the road for national women’s doubles pair Vivian Hoo Kah Mun-Yap Cheng Wen, who were beaten by young Chinese pair Dong Wen Jing-Feng Xue Ying 15-21, 9-21 in another first round match. — Bernama