China’s top men’s singles player Shi Yuqi suffered an early exit at the badminton Thailand Open here on Wednesday.
The third seed went down against Kiran George of India 21-18, 22-20 in the tournament’s first round, after a short break following the Sudirman Cup in which Shi has played a pivotal role in China’s champion run.
China’s world No.1 women’s doubles Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan as well as mixed doubles pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong skipped the tournament while women’s singles player Chen Yufei withdrew.
China suffered another setback when mixed doubles pair Feng Yenzhe/Huang Dongping, who finished runners-up in the Malaysian Masters, lost on Wednesday against Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei of Malaysia 21-15, 19-21, 21-19.
