(Badminton) Olympian Li loses first tussle
(03-06 19:12)
Li Xuerui, the Olympic and the defending All-England champion, suffered a stunning defeat when she lost in the first round of the All-England Open.
Li, widely regarded as the sport's outstanding woman player after her triumph at the London Games seven months ago, went down 21-18, 21-18 to Bae Yeon Ju, the world number 13 from South Korea, AFP reports. The Chinese player did not blame either the wind drift or having to face such a high quality opponent in the first round for her defeat. “It was personal performance issues, too many mistakes, nothing else,'' she said.
Li's defeat opens up a better chance of her Chinese compatriot Wang Yihan, the number three seed and former All-England champion, reaching the final again in the top half.
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