CHANGZHOU, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese badminton players Shi Yuqi and Chen Yufei advanced to the round of 16 as the 2026 China Open began in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday.
Shi, the world No. 1 and tournament favorite, was given an early scare by Singapore's Jason Teh Jia Heng, who made an aggressive start and took the opening game 21-18 to put the Chinese top seed under pressure on home soil.
However, Teh was forced to retire with an injury midway through the second game, with Shi leading 6-2, sending the Chinese player through to the last 16.
The most thrilling men's singles clash of the opening day saw China's Weng Hongyang defeat third-seeded Dane Anders Antonsen in three tightly contested games. The pair split the opening two games before Weng edged the decider 22-20.
Also on Tuesday, home favorite Lu Guangzu was eliminated after losing 21-18, 21-16 to Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei.
Reigning Olympic champion Chen survived a stern test in the women's singles, grinding out a 91-minute victory over Japan's Natsuki Nidaira. She lost the opening game 21-19 before battling back to take the next two 21-19, 21-18 and seal her place in the last 16.
Young Chinese player Han Qianxi lost her opening match to Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani, leaving Chen as the only Chinese women's singles player to advance on the first day.
Chinese pairs showed strong form across all three doubles events. Men's doubles pair Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, top women's doubles duo Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, and young mixed doubles pair Gao Jiaxuan and Wu Mengying all won their opening matches.
Mixed doubles pair Zhu Yijun and Li Qian lost in straight games, marking China's third defeat of the day.
First-round action continues on Wednesday, with Li Shifeng, Wang Zhiyi and men's doubles pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang among the leading Chinese players in action.
The China Open runs through Sunday. ■
