Japan Open: Ginting, Lee Zii Jia Bite the Dust
World No.2 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, who was in the final of three of his last four events, crashed out in his opening test at the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2023.
· BWF STAFF
His vanquisher was Kanta Tsuneyama, who had a 3-3 career record against the Indonesian going into the match. Tsuneyama shut Ginting out in 44 minutes, 21-13 21-18.
Tsuneyama’s compatriot Kenta Nishimoto, the defending champion, enjoyed a morale-boosting opening win, as he held off Lee Zii Jia in a thriller, 20-22 21-17 21-19. Nishimoto faces third seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn next, while Tsuneyema is up against Lakshya Sen, who survived a close battle against compatriot Priyanshu Rajawat, 21-15 12-21 24-22.
There was another significant result for Japanese fans, with two-time champion Kento Momota crashing out to younger compatriot Koki Watanabe, 13-21 21-16 21-13.